It wasn't sunlight but rain that woke Danae the next morning. Opening her eyes to the thump of rain on canvas, she lay there bemused as the coals began to hiss.
"Ukko's beard! The Elf!" Danae lept out of the hammock, nearly tripping over the blankets wrapped around her legs. Untangling herself, she hurried over the the elf, who slumbered oblivious to the incoming rain.
Danae stood there a moment biting her lip, uncertain as to the best course of action as the drops began to intensify. Better get him under the lean to. At least he'll stay dry.
"Get up, elf, before ya get sick and die." She nudged him with her foot just as a crack of thunder split the sky.
"Ah, what?" Shiv jerked awake as a raindrop hit him between the eyes. He scrambled up and stumbled over to the lean to set up under a tree and sat down on a stool, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Danae chuckled to herself and tossed some dry twigs on the fire and it began to hiss and pop as the rain continued to fall, sending up grey smoke before the fire began to take life.
Once the fire had begun to snap and pop, Danae busied herself with making breakfast and stood next to Shiv as they ate some fried beef and another biscuit, spending as little time by the fire as possible as the rain continued to fall.
"Won't last long." Danae spun around. Shiv pointed at the sky with his half-eaten biscuit. "See the sky? Few more minutes."
Danae turned and looked where he had pointed. Splotches of blue played hide and seek with the morning sun as the clouds slid by.
"Yea, I think you're right, elf. How ya feeling?" Danae offered him her canteen as she spoke. "Sleep well?"
"Cup?" Danae pointed behind him. "Thanks." He filled the cup with water and handed the canteen back. "What was it?"
"What was what, elf? Breakfast?"
"Blue Stuff, what is it?" Shiv bit down on his biscuit. "Not soaked long enough."
Danae recapped her canteen and tossed a log on the fire, watching the orange sparks fight the drizzle. "Halflings taught my mom when I was a kid. We did 'em a favor and sheltered a family during a nasty gale, the kind that swallows up ships."
Brushing back a strand of hair she continued. "In return, their healer taught my mom about the blue birch flower and gave dad this." She fingered her necklace absently, a white birch tree with a red wheel in the trunk along with some Halfling writing.
"Wierd, but I swear sometimes I can hear the creak of a turning wheel." Tucking it back in her shirt, Danae turned to the sun as it flashed in and out of view. "Think yer right about the rain. Stand up, elf. I need to check your wounds."
"Name's Shiv." He protested, standing and struggling out of his shirt, dropping it on the stool.
Danae undid the bandages and grunted in satisfaction. "You'll live, long as you keep your wounds clean. I'll have to collect more flowers and pick some raspberries from that bush near where you nearly burned down the whole island. Think you can clean up while I'm gone, or is that beneath your station?"
Shiv's retort was muffled by his shirt. Danae chuckled as she grabbed her satchel, pike, an empty sack and her canteen. "Be sure to boil some water while I'm gone... Elf!"
Danae skipped away from the cursing Shiv enjoying the sun on her face. I love the smell of the forest after a rainstorm, she thought as she followed the path towards the raspberry bush. It's like the plants are happy to be alive. Danae made her way back to the bush where she began to pick the ripest berries, tossing them in the sack as she went, minus the few popped in her mouth.
A strip of cloth caught her eye as she turned to leave, kneeling she picked it up and flipped it over in her fingers. It was a ribbon, soft and pink. Definitely not the elf's, she thought while the morning sun warmed the back of her neck. And pink isn't my color, so where did this come from?
Danae stood up and began to examine the area, searching for other clues; a footprint here, broken twigs there. Never tracked a person before, she thought smiling. Deer, elk, bear, but people? First time for everything I guess.
Gripping her pike, she continued to follow the uneven track to a part of the island she hadn't explored yet. Danae stopped just long enough to take a drink from her canteen and to pick some flowers from a nearby blue birch.
Better stock up, whoever this is, isn't in good shape based on what I've seen. She scratched her chin as she stood up, knees popping. Looks like they go into that little hollow down there. Danae adjusted the grip on her pike and followed the trail down into the hollow, skirting a clump of poison ivy.
"W-ho's there?" A horse voice challenged her from the Shadows. "S-Stay Back! I'm warning y-you!"
"The name's Whitebirch. I was a passenger on the Pike. Me and the elf have a camp set up."
"Elf? You mean Shiv?" The voice questioned, then began coughing. "How do I-I know you're telling the truth?"
Danae tightened the grip on her pike. "We sailed out of Tapio a fortnite ago and we were headed to Jumala. Look, I haven't all day. You can stay here and suffer or come out of there and get some warm food, your choice."
A dry hacking cough echoed through the hollow. "Let me rephrase this, you can stay here and die, or join us and have a chance at getting off this rock."
Danae only had to wait for a few seconds before the bushes began to rustle. At least she's not moving through the poison ivy, I'm shocked the elf didn't roll in every batch here.
A short woman emerged from the greenery, her red hair a sharp contrast was tied back in a pigtail. In one hand a branch served as a makeshift cane and the other held a cleaver, gleaming in the morning sun. She stood unsteadily in the sun, blinking several times. Beads of sweat dripped off her plump cheeks, and despite the warmth of the sun Danae could see her shivering. Her cotton dress was torn in several places and was smeared with dirt.
"Kuu's blood, you look awful." She pointed and the shaking cleaver, "And put that away before you hurt yourself."
The woman nodded and dropped the cleaver on the ground nearly severing a toe. She bent double as a coughing fit seized her. "I've been better. You're Whitebirch?"
"Please, call me Danae, and you are?" Danae walked over, picked up the cleaver and tucked it in her satchel, careful not to cut herself on the sharp blade.
"Bria Smallthorn, late the chef aboard the Pike." Bria pulled a grimy cloth from a pocket and wiped the sweat from her forehead, smearing dirt across it. Have you found any other survivors?"
"Just the elf. He must have been tossed against the rocks some based on the cuts. You know how the lake gets when she's angry" Danae took a close look at the sweating woman and shook her head. "We need to get you back to camp and see about that fever. I could probably fry meat on your forehead right now."
"Is it far? I barely made it to that berry bush." Bria leaned on her makeshift cane, driving the point into the moist earth. "I really don't feel well."
"It's not far." Danae lied smoothly. "Are you hungry? I have a bunch of berries and a bit of dried venison."
"Berries, woul-d be nice." Bria's voice wavered.
Danae took her by the arm and led her to a tree stump worn smooth by time and weather. "Here, these will fill you up a bit."
The exhausted woman slumped down on the stump, face and arms shiny. She chewed down the berries mechanically while Danae pulled a small tip cup out of her satchel and filled it with water.
"Here, have some water," she ordered while holding out the cup. "You stay here and rest, I'll be back shortly with the elf."
Bria downed the water in a single gulp, then wiped her brow. "Are you sure? I think I can make-" she began to cough, unable to finish the sentence.
"You're in no condition to argue, rest up, I'll be back soon enough."
Bria nodded as she leaned on her crutch. "O-okay."
Danae waved as she turned and hustled back to camp mind racing. I need to make a litter or stretcher or something. That damn elf better be willing to help or I'll cut off his ears and shove them down his Kuu be damned throat.
She burst into camp, breathless and red faced, ignoring the startled look from Shiv who whirled around, axe in hand.
"Don't do that!"
"Sorry, elf. I need that axe and find some canvas." Danae held out her hands, "about this wide and as long as I am tall."
"Canvas, why?" Shiv handed her the axe, eyebrows raised.
"Stretcher, 'nother survivor. Sick." Danae called out, grabbing some rope, and measuring it out.
"And? They'll probably die anyway" Shiv stood there, arms folded over bandaged torso, face grim.
Danae thumped the axe deep into a log, nearly splitting it in two as she turned. "Mielikki's Law. You help the sick and stranded. Period. Why do you think I nursed you back to health, elf?"
Working the axe from the log she continued. "We're not in the Silver Elf Forest, and out here in the Impure Human Lands as you like to call it, we don't turn away those in need. Not even an arrogant pointy eared bastard like you. And if you don't find that canvas, I swear by Kuu's silver hair I'll rip your ears of your head and shove them down your damn throat!"
Shiv stood there, jaws clenched as the two locked eyes. Finally, he looked away and nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Danae stomped away cursing under her breath about the arrogance of elves seeking out a pair of saplings that she should use for a stretcher. It didn't take long for her to find what she needed and to cut them down to size. She then hustled back to the camp where the elf had left a length of canvas, although he was nowhere to be found.
"Typical," she muttered, "they always disappear when there's work to be done. "Well, a stretcher is out, better make a travois instead." Danae looked around for some branches she could use. "I should have left him to his own devices, law or no law."
Spitting on the ground, she got to work lashing up a travois to drag the sick Bria back to camp, silently vowing to slit the elf's throat the first chance she got.
Danae found Bria hunched over, arms wrapped around herself trying to keep warm even as sweat stained her dress in several places, and Danae's nose wrinkled from a nearby puddle of vomit. She's in worse shape than I thought. Fever's aren't my specialty, that's mom's area, she thought, looking at the huddled figure.
"Sorry it took so long Bria. lay in this, I'll get you back to camp."
Bria looked up, eyes clouded. "What's that? Where's Shiv?"
Danae held up her contraption. "It's called a travois, and that pointy eared bastard disappeared after I threatened to cut off his ears and shove them down his throat." She then placed it on the ground. "Lay on it, head towards the wide part. I really need to do something about that fever."
Bria nodded and tottered the short walk to the travois and fell onto it, clutching her branch. Danae grabbed the empty cup from the stump, tied the ribbon on the handle and put it in her satchel. That way I'll know it's hers. I don't want to catch whatever she's got Danae mused as she got ready to lift the travois and drag Bria back.
"Are you sure Shiv left? That's not like him." Bria asked as Danae began to lift the travois with a grunt.
"What'd you expect? He's an elf. That's what they do." Danae began to drag the sick woman across the meadow towards the camp, face red from the effort.
"Ow! Shiv's different. He's one of out better sailors." Bria protested; voice hoarse.
"Sorry, I hit a root. A sailor? Elves don't leave their forest for long. They say they can smell the 'taint of humans' when they leave it" Danae apologized over her shoulder, while trying to pick out the best path back.
"Shiv's been on the Pike for three voyages and never complains. He refuses to say what happened, only that he's not planning on going home any time soon. Something about protecting his family's honor."
"Elves and their honor," Danae huffed, "Whatever happened to just keeping your word?" She stopped at the top of a hill, strewn with rocks. "Bad news Bria, I can't drag you down this hill, you're gonna have to walk down." She set the travois down gently and rubbed her shoulders.
"Okay, I think I can make it that far." Bria began to get up, before being restrained by Danae.
"Sit here for a minute. I'll take this down to the bottom and figure out the best way to get you back to camp."
The sick woman nodded weakly before rolling off the travois and laying there, gasping for breath, her hand shading her glazed eyes.
Danae half slid down the hill, travois trailing behind her. Leaving it at the bottom, she scanned the hill side, chewing on a fingernail. Damn she though, how am I going to get her down this hill? She stalked back and forth twice before picking out a path that she thought Bria could handle.
Leaving the travois in the shade of an oak tree, Danae climbed back up to the shivering Bria and held out her hand. "Up you go. We're almost there, it's fairly smooth the rest of the way."
Danae led Bria down the hill, step by step, snaking their way around loose rocks and bushes. She only slipped once and Danae was shocked by how clammy her skin was as she grabbed her arm.
Sitting Bria down on a rock, Danae pulled out the cup and filled it with water, holding it out. "Drink this."
"My ribbon! Where'd you find it?" Bria shakily took the cup drinking it slowly.
"Berry bush. Mielikki must be watching over you." Danae replied, taking a drink from her canteen while scanning the sky. "Pink's not my color."
"It's my sister's ribbon. Pink is her favorite color." Bria stroked the ribbon, then swallowed the last of the water. "Here, if I drink anymore, I don't think I'll keep it down."
Danae took the cup and placed it carefully into her satchel, then motioned for Bria to lay down on the makeshift stretcher and the two women picked their way back to camp.