"Lucas, I am here."
She didn't know if he could hear her, but she was determined to help him. The blood seeped through the bandage quickly, so she changed it quickly.
Throwing the bandage to the side she used all of her strength to push the new bandage against the wound. Panic began setting in as the blood continued to fill up the dwindling stack of bandages.
'I should have learned more about healing from Lucas.'
She knew there was no use in scolding herself for only focusing on combat training. She always focused on the least important things first.
Nothing could have prepared her for the warm, almost sick, feelings she felt as blood gushed out of a wound and flowed over her bare hands.
Eva looked away as she blinked away the slight dizziness the scene caused her. Pressing her hands against the wound was the only thing she could think to do to help him.
As she pressed the bandage against the wound, teardrops fell upon her blood coated hands. She was down to the last two bandages.
"No. No! Stop bleeding! Please!"
Eva knew it was useless to plead into the empty air, but Lucas' blood was painting everything crimson. The sound of animals fighting in the distance made her panic more.
The thought of a hostile animal coming across them terrified her. She did not know if she could protect both of them.
Also, if she had to stop pressing against the wound, she knew that he would not make it. If only the bleeding would stop or at least slow down!
If she could just stop the bleeding, she could figure out some way to move him. How long had she been sitting here?
It was growing dark quickly. Had it really been that long? She had no way to judge how much time had passed.
It was becoming harder to see when she needed to change out the bandages. Some hours must have passed by right?
A stack of bloodied bandages were stacked in a pile next to her. So many bandages are lying there.
'Am I going to lose him?'
A sob choked in her throat.
'I can't give up.'
She felt for the next bandage, but her hand only came into contact with the grass.
'Oh no.'
From the little light left she could tell that Lucas had grown very pale. Her heart was already falling into her stomach.
'What do I do? There are no more bandages and it is getting dark?'
"Magic.." A strange whisper reached her ears.
Looking around wildly, Eva could not see anyone or anything in their vicinity.
'How is my useless magic going to do anything here?'
Shaking her head she tried to calm herself down. She could not forgive herself if she didn't try absolutely everything to help him.
Focusing the strange energy that coursed through her body into her hands, she poured everything she had into Lucas' wound.
Immediately Eva began to feel light headed. She scrunched her face up as she focused on the energy flowing from her body.
Her breathing became ragged as she continued to pour the magical energy from her body into Lucas.
'Save him. Please, just save him.'
It became difficult to force the flow out of her body. Her head began to throb, but she held on.
Lucas coughed up some blood. The sight made her heart slip further into despair. With one last push she shoved all the energy from her body into his.
The world began slowly receding from Eva's vision. Her body slumped over and she fell on top of Lucas.
'I hope it was enough.'
A flash of light encircled the two lying on the ground.
The black cat who had whispered into Eva's ear stared intently at the two below.
"I suppose I don't mind giving you some help, since you tried so hard."
The dryad stepped out of the tree next to the cat.
"You know we are not supposed to interfere like this, right?"
The cat looked at the dryad and seemed to roll its eyes.
"Those rules are for you fledglings to follow."
The dryad looked offended, but knew that the cat had been around a lot longer than it.
"Did she heal him enough?"
The dryad was curious if the elf would survive.
"She has no talent for healing, but it looks like she was able to pass him enough true mana to kickstart his healing magic."
The dryad stared at the cat in bewilderment.
"True mana?"
A new appreciation for the human below it festered in her chest. The cat remained silent. The two watched over the elf and the human until dawn before the dryad needed to return to its territory once again.
The cat got up from its napping position and jumped down to the ground near Lucas and Eva. It slipped through the circular barrier it had made and pressed its paw against Lucas' arm.
The elf was struggling to heal himself with the mana Eva had shoved into his body. His body was acting on pure instinct in order to survive.
The cat huffed as it blew air into the elf's face. The healing became much faster as the wound on his side closed up completely.
"It seems you will need a little more practice in order to become an adept healer."
The cat hopped onto Lucas' chest and batted his cheek.
"I know you are awake. Talk to me elf."
Lucas glared at the cat on his chest. Didn't it know that sitting on his chest hurt?
"Hey, if I didn't help you there the magical wonder your girlie performed would have been for nothing. The least you can do is keep me company while I continue to protect you two."
Lucas grimaced and looked at their surroundings. It seemed the cat spirit was speaking the truth. A strange energy was shielding them from the elements and other animals in the forest.
"Eva?" Lucas questioned the cat.
He looked down at his body and saw Eva's blue hair behind the cat.
"Unconscious. It is temporary. She expended quite a bit of mana to save you after all."
Lucas looked at the cat questioningly. Eva had mana?
"Oh, she doesn't really know how to use it yet. But yes, she does seem to have quite the gift for water magic."
"If you can read my thoughts, what was the point of telling me to talk to you?" Lucas asked the cat.
The cat began cleaning its paw. Lucas waited patiently for it to answer.
"Elves never say what they mean, so it's easier this way."
Somehow this remark seemed to insult Lucas. The cat made a choking sound that sounded like laughter.
Lucas laid his head back onto the ground and stared at the leaves as they rustled in the wind.
******
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