Danae spent the next day salvaging as much from the hulk of the Pike as she could, careful not to reopen the half-healed wound below her ribs. Along with more food, the stranded woman found lantern oil, medical supplies, and fresh clothes along with other odds and ends. She also began her search for a spot on the island's beaches to build a signal fire without much luck.
"Damn, this won't work either!" Danae stamped her foot in frustration. The rocky beach was just a few yards wide and upwind of the tightly packed trees. She watched the gulls bouncing on the waves for a few moments before looking to the sky at the clouds in a silent prayer.
Fingers drumming on crossed arms, she considered her options. Well, she thought, I must be on the Eastern end of the Oldest Sister, I can't see a lick of land to the South and I'd be able to see one of the other islands if I were on one of the others, they're that close. Turning to her left, Danae studied the area, sighing. The beach ended at a low cliff, rocks slick from the pounding waves.
Picking up her pike, she turned on her heel and began to make her way into the interior of the island, keeping the sound of the pounding waves to her right, and pausing long enough to mark trees on her left with her knife. "Mark your trail when you're in new territory Danae, that way you can retrace your steps." The calm voice of her mom rose from the depths. Danae smiled at the thought as she stopped long enough to pick some herbs growing under a cedar tree.
Is that smoke? Danae wondered as the breeze shifted. I can't be that close to camp, can I? Her thoughts raced as the scent of burning wood skipped past her sunburnt nose. Craning her neck upwards, her eyes swept the sky looking for smoke.
Damn, too many trees to find the source. It can't be that far away, she thought rocking back and forth on moccasinned feet. The breeze is coming from the west, so I'll start there. Gripping her pike tightly, Danae crouched down and began to pick her way through the woods, not sure if she was searching for an ally or an enemy. Although pirates were rare on this part of the lake, they weren't unheard of.
Lucky I ended up on the Eastern end of the island, the wind blows out to the water, maybe that's why I haven't been visited by whoever's out there, she mused, working her way around a raspberry bush, heavy with ruby and purple fruit. Making a mental note to return with a bowl, she continued to stalk the source of the smoke, silent as the wisps of burning wood that drew her closer to her prey.
Wishing she had her bow, Danae crept ever closer, the scent guiding her bit by charred bit until she spotted wisps of grey smoke meandering up from under a birch tree. Shaking her head in disgust, she circled around to get a better look at the campsite careful to stay downwind screened by swaying ferns and low bushes.
Using the tip of her pike, Danae slowly moved aside a low hanging branch and spotted the other castaway, hunched over a small fire, feeding it small twigs and branches. He was tall and lean, shirtless and she could her his teeth chattering over the pop of the fire oblivious to his annoyed stalker. He turned and she spotted the pointed ears of an elf.
Grinding her teeth, she debated simply running him through and being done with it. Damn elf! she fumed watching him fan the flames with his torn shirt. He'll burn the whole island down. She rocked back snapping a branch under her heel. Cursing under her breath she watched as he turned around looking for the source of the sound, hand on a wicked looking dagger, lips blue from the cold.
Standing with a huff, Danae walked into the opening, pointing at the shocked elf with her pike.
"Are you trying to burn down the whole twice cursed island you pointy eared bastard? What moron starts a fire under a paper birch tree anyway?" The words shot out of her mouth as she pointed at the tree behind him, as he stood there, mouth agape.
He was in worse shape than she thought as she stomped towards him. His arms were crisscrossed with cuts and scrapes, some of them turning red. Next to the fire was a small pile of berries.
"Put that fire out, NOW for Kuu's sake. If the wind switches directions, it'll light the bark on fire!" Danae nearly threw her canteen at the shivering elf, who fumbled open the stopper and poured over the hissing fire.
Shouldering him out of the way, she stirred the ashes together until she was satisfied it wouldn't relight later. She rose and turned, pointing the ash grey butt of the pike at the elf.
"So much for elves being the 'Masters of The Forest' or whatever the saying is. Even a damn Rock Troll knows better than to light a fire under a tree!"
"Who, what? Wh- where di-did you come from?" Teeth chattering, the elf responded.
"Shipwreck, wait..." Danae took a closer look at the necklace the elf wore. "Weren't you on the Pike?"
The elf nodded, reaching for the scrap of shirt hanging on a nearby bush. "My name i-is Sh-hiv."
Shiv must be elven for dumbass, Danae thought, lips tight. She looked him up and down as he stood there, hands shoved in armpits.
"Okay Sh-hiv, let's go, my campsite is that way." She gestured with her pike. "And see that tree with the blue flowers? Grab some of the bluest ones you can find." She turned and regarded him. "Well? Are you going to stay here and freeze to death? I have a fire and some food."
The mention of food did the trick. Shiv broke from his trance and followed her, stopping long enough to pick some cobalt flowers off a nearby blue birch tree before scrambling after her as she vanished into the woods, cursing under her breath about elves their lineage.
Ignoring pleas to slow down, Danae followed her marked trees back to familiar ground, knuckles white on her pike. "Of all the people, it had to be a Kuu damned elf, and one who has no business being in the woods." she hissed shoving aside a low branch and letting it slingshot back. "What's next? An early gale? Pirates? Another survivor? Hiisi?"
A cry and the sound of breaking branches interrupted her rant. Stopping, Danae turned around in time to see Shiv stumble over a rock and crash into a sapling, ripping off the remains of his shirt as he slid to the ground, eyes and lips a matching shade of blue.
"Danae, you know the rule about helping the stranded! You're better than this!" Her dad's voice admonished from the shadow of her mind. "I'm disappointed in you."
She stopped, hands on hips, cheeks red as the voice of her late father vanished from her mind. "Sorry dad." she mumbled. Leaning her pike against a nearby tree, she strode over to the elf, unfastening her cloak and holding out her hand. "Come on, elf. We still have a ways to go."
Pulling him to his feet, she wrapped the cloak around his bowed shoulders and handed him a piece of meat from her pouch. "Here, eat this."
Nodding, the shivering elf gulped down the meat and took a long drink from her canteen. "Th-a-anks." She took the canteen back with a nod.
"This way elf. I need to get you warmed up and those wounds treated. You're no good to me dead."
Handing him her pike, she led him back to camp, keeping the pace slow and pointing out low branches, exposed roots and edible berries as they travelled.
"You never know when this'll come in handy, elf. Especially when you're on your own with only your wits and the will to survive. You seem to be lacking the former. though not the latter." She paused, holding back a low hanging branch as he limped past her, cloak pulled tight around his hunched shoulders. "Steady elf, we're almost there."
Taking the lead, Danae led the exhausted elf back to camp, motioning him to sit by the fire that she stirred back to life. By Kuu's silvery hair he looks bad, she thought watching him hold out shaking hands towards the fire. Guess I should get some food in his belly before treating those wounds, it looks like he picked a fight with some orcs and lost.
Mind made up, Danae cut some meat into thin strips, tossing them and some herbs into a teapot she'd retrieved from the Pike and placed it near the fire to warm up. She then dug through the clothes recovered from the ship and found a thick shirt that looked like it would fit the elf. Setting it aside for the moment, she she mixed up a larger batch of the paste, adding an extra ingredient then motioned for Shiv to stand, bowl in one hand strips of cloth in the other.
"Look elf, you're going to need to take off my cloak. If we don't treat those wounds of yours, you'll be headed to Tuonela before your time." She held up the bowl, "This'll speed the healing and keep the poison from spreading."
Nodding, Shiv struggled to his feet and dropped the cloak on the log behind him. At least he's warmer now, she thought inspecting the cuts and scrapes on his arms and torso.
She thrust the cloth strips at the elf. "Hold these and turn around, elf. Let me see your back."
He complied, steadying himself on the downed tree as Danae examined the gashes and bruises crisscrossing the elf's back and shoulders, probing none to gently with her fingers, looking for oozing pus. At least the infection hasn't gotten bad, she mused, nothing is pussing, yet.
"You're lucky to be alive. This is going to sting, try not to faint. I'm not picking you up off the dirt." With that warning she began to spread the paste over the worst of his wounds, ignoring the grunts of pain. "Turn around elf," she ordered looking at her pasty skinned patient. "Steady, I'm almost done." She repeated the process, impressed he hadn't cried out once, even when she tied the bandages tightly over the worst of his wounds.
Setting the bowl down, Danae grabbed the shirt off a branch and helped Shiv into it. It was a bit long in the arms, but otherwise fit. She knelt, checking the beef broth warming in the teapot. Satisfied it was ready, she removed it from the fire, and splashed into a wooden bowl, then handed it and a bent spoon to the elf.
"Eat up, then get some sleep." Danae motioned to the hammock a short distance away. "That's my bed, you need to stay close to the fire. It's a wonder you didn't freeze to death."
"Did you get this from the Pike?" Shiv asked after gulping down half the bowl in one swallow and gesturing with his spoon.
Danae nodded towards the shore. "She's beached not far from here. There's an opening in her hull. I've been grabbing what I can." She watched as he digested the information. "Get some sleep Elf, let the medicine do its work."
"Shiv, the name's Shiv..." His voice trailed off into a soft snore.
Smiling, Danae draped her cloak over the shoulders of the sleeping elf before tossing a log onto the fire. "G'nite, elf. may Kuu watch over you."
Humming bits of a song, she cleaned out the bowl and fried up a meal of beef and the buscuit, this time soaking it before trying to eat it.
"Maybe the elf will know the best way to prepare this rock bread." Danae wondered aloud, poking the fire with a stick, sending sparks floating into darkening sky. "At least he'll sleep good tonight."
She placed a strip of canvas over the sleeping elf, cleaned up camp and joined him in slumber.