The whole night, I could feel my body ache. I trembled in my sleep and the excruciating pain in my back didn't let me rest. I was not fully awake, but even in my sleep I was tormented by nightmares. Several figures spoke to me, the dark silhouettes played with me so as to not reveal their true identity. I felt feverish. My whole identity felt different with every passing second…
When the night of terror slowly passed and I regained consciousness late the next morning, the first thing that I heard was a commotion outside. My head hurt from the noise.
"Agh…" I groaned as I felt a hand on my forehead.
"Moon! You're awake!"
I slowly looked up to see Astra standing right next to me. She excitedly rushed to the door, when I called out for her.
"No!" I strained my voice to call out to her as she stopped in her tracks and looked at me.
"Don't…" I said, as I slowly sat up on the bed. I wasn't hurt, but I was clearly very tired.
"What happened to me…?" I asked, almost in a whisper as if speaking to myself.
"We don't know, Moon. We were all so worried! You went outside to receive a call and then… we heard you scream. When we came out, you were just laying there unconscious with a wound on your back. We… couldn't really figure out what to do. Misaii did a primary treatment, but… until we could figure out what actually caused the bruise, we couldn't go into any detailed medication." After a moment of silence, she continued.
"What happened last night, Moon?"
Her questioning eyes made me go back to what happened last night. Bits and pieces of the whole event started coming back to me. My head felt dizzy trying to remember everything but I kept pushing harder, until…
"I-I'll call you later… Caleb." I said, this time, my voice actually breaking as I was about to sob again.
"Yeah, cool."
Three beeps. He cut the call. I fell to the ground and tried to suppress the feeling of being stabbed multiple times by an ax, that I felt in my heart. I sighed and stood up, wiping away a stray tear from my eye. Maybe Anya was right, after all? Maybe this is the end…?
The thought of the end made me break down even more. I felt weak, powerless, and unworthy. I looked up at the moon.
"Do you cry too when you're hurt?" I sniffled. But instead of an answer, there it was again. Sounds of a rustle. I turned around on instinct.
"H-Hello? Is… is anybody there?"
I was subconsciously walking forward, not knowing what was waiting for me. And then, it revealed itself.
With a growl, the big canine animal made itself known. I jumped back with a scream to protect myself, but it was too late. The white wolf was right on top of me. Saliva dripped off its teeth. Blood seemed to have dried on the huge canines of the animal. I screamed louder this time, but the wolf didn't budge. It hovered on top of me. In a desperate attempt to save myself, I rolled over, but I couldn't run away. Instead, a piercing pain ran down my whole body as I saw a pool of blood slowly forming next to me. My limbs went limp. The wolf had attacked my back. My conscience seemed to stop working, as I turned toward the animal, holding my palms together, begging for it to leave me. And as if it could understand me, its blue-green eyes locked with mine, and it immediately ran off. The last thing I remembered before passing out was Anya's deafening cries and several footsteps approaching me…
"Moon?"
"Huh?" Astra's voice brought me back to the present, as I got up from the bed. I groaned in pain with every movement of my upper body, but I could no longer stay in bed.
"Misaii. She knows something." My guts told me to search for her. Why would Misaii stop me from going out otherwise? Why would she just tell me about "animals" and not warn me about "dangerous animals"?
"W-Where's Misaii?" I asked Astra while she kept trying to get me back on the bed. My blood was flowing out again from the bandaged area, but I was determined to get answers.
"Moon, your wound! Y-You need to take a rest, please!"
"Astra. Where is Misaii?" I asked her firmly. She blinked a few times before answering me in a soft voice.
"Outside. She… she went out last night to get someone for your treatment, but…"
I had no time for 'ifs and buts'.
"Take me outside."
"What?"
"I said, take me outside. Now."
"But-"
"Take me outside, Astra. NOW."
My glare made Astra recoil for a split second before she regained her composure.
"Yes, Moon."
She held me as I walked outside, struggling with moving my upper body. Finally, I was outside, facing the crowd that was fighting two people, one of whom was Misaii.
"I am NOT letting any random person near MY child." My mom's voice thundered. "Take this hell of a man out of my sight, Misaii! If you want to have a respectable job through your last days on the planet, TELL HIM TO GO!"
"Natasha, you know I will not do that. No matter what you say. I know I brought him here for a reason. And I will not leave any stones unturned to treat Moon." Misaii said firmly. Mom was fuming at this point.
"SHE IS MY DAUGHTER, MISAII. MY. DAUGHTER. I DECIDE WHAT HAPPENS WITH HER, NOT YOU! IF NEEDED, I WILL TAKE HER TO THE BEST HOSPITAL BACK IN THE U.S., BUT I WILL NOT LET YOU BRING THIS MAN NEAR MY CHILD."
"STOP IT!" My voice echoed through the hallway and reached the crowd outside. The mysterious man standing next to Misaii, as if to avoid looking at me, turned to the other side. My breathing was heavy and I glared at everyone present in the crowd. The commotion instantly faded as I took my entrance. I looked directly at my mother and she stared back into my eyes.
"I decide what happens with me, mom. Not anyone else. Even if you are my mother, I do not give you the freedom to do what you want, to me, without my opinion." I looked at Misaii.
"That applies to you too, Misaii."
She simply looked down at her feet. Mom came up to me, looking surprised.
"Moon? How dare you speak to your mother like that?"
"I only declared what was right, mom. And you need to respect that. Everyone does. Especially, when this is all about me. I do not want to cause a scene. But I do want answers." I turned to look at Misaii. My mom finally seemed to look a little content as I confronted Misaii.
"What is this, Misaii?"
"I went to fetch a healer for you, My Lady. He knows how to treat your wound! He will do amazing! And-"
"And why can't YOU treat the wound, Misaii?"
She stared at me blankly.
"Tell me, why can't you treat me? I heard you did primary treatments. So then why the need for a man?"
I finally turned to look at the man and noticed his weird, almost ragged appearance. The man wore a long black cloak, covering his whole body. His well-built arms hung out of the cloak, dusted with dirt and mud. Several sigils were imprinted on his wrist. His face was covered by the hood of the cloak. I tried to make out his facial features from under the coat, but Misaii spoke up.
"I only know basic healing, My Lady. I can't heal you completely."
"Well, then why would you not warn me about a danger so big that would require you to sneak out at night and bring home another healer WITHOUT my knowledge?"
"My Lady, I-"
"Misaii." I raised my palm. "It is MY body, Misaii. I got hurt. It should be with MY approval, that we decide what happens next. And I- am NOT going to let-"
My mom's face almost broke out into a triumphant smile, but before I could finish my sentence, my whole body convulsed as I lost consciousness again.
"Dione!" A voice rang in my ears right before I closed my eyes. Strong arms immediately held me and stopped me from falling. As if on instinct, I clasped the cloth that hung on the man's body to regain my balance. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The shadow that covered the man's face, couldn't somehow cover his eyes. I shuddered immediately and took a few steps back.
"Moon?" Dad came up to me and held me.
"Are you okay?" Anya said. I gulped and took a deep breath. A long silence followed.
"Bring him in," I said.
"What?!" My mom said.
"I said, bring him in."
"Baby, are you-"
"I SAID. BRING HIM IN. NOW." My voice was heard loud and clear by everyone as I stormed inside, followed by Astra and Anya. Misaii brought the man in. Each one of my steps felt heavy.
"Those eyes… I know those eyes… I've seen them before…" I thought to myself.
"Why did that man look at me like that? Who is Dione? What does his 'treatment' entail?"
Questions tormented my mind as I walked into my room. Astra and Anya made way for the man. Misaii stood at the door and called Astra and Anya outside. The pain in my back caused me to sit down on the bed. Slowly, I looked up at the man. The lights from the window made his facial features visible to me. Fair skin, mid-length brown ruffled hair, and… the same blue-green eyes that I saw yesternight.
"No, no, no… you're thinking too much, Moon. This… This is just a coincidence… just a coincidence." I tried hard to keep my composure.
"Who are you?"
As if a little startled by my question, the man fidgeted. But then, he spoke firmly.
"I'm here to treat your wound. It- will affect you, otherwise. We don't have much time, My Lady."
"What kind of a wound is this that makes you say that I don't have much time?" His wandering gaze fell on mine but swiftly moved away.
"It's… from… a wolf." As if after a lot of contemplation and hesitation, he spoke, confirming my worst thoughts.
"A werewolf."
A thunder ran down my spine. This really can't be happening now. I was in denial. A voice rang in my head…
"... But when someone turns into a werewolf, you can only understand who it is, by looking into their eyes."
Anya's words made more sense now, but I couldn't believe it myself. What was my life turning into? I was happy in the U.S., far away from these myths and events… and now I'm the center of attention. I looked at the man.
"How do you know it was a werewolf?"
He remained silent for a minute and looked at me as if studying me. I looked away.
"Your actions prove it."
I furrowed my brows.
"What do you mean?"
"Were you able to sleep properly?" The man began pacing the room. I anxiously answered.
"No."
"Were you tormented by dreams that you couldn't make sense of?"
"Yes."
"Did the blood flow stop this morning?"
"... No."
The corner of his lips curled into a smile. A bitter smile.
"Let me treat you, My Lady. I know what I'm doing."
His voice felt more like an instruction. I was already tense, and thinking about turning into a werewolf made me shudder in fear. Like a terrified little girl, I obliged and turned around, and then, blushed in embarrassment.
"My… my wound…"
"Don't worry, My Lady. I… am a healer. I will not hurt your dignity."
I shied away even more. His eyes made me feel so small, like a doe hiding in a rainforest. I sighed, but then looked back at him to make sure he wasn't looking. I genuinely felt a surge of relief to see he was turning the other way around and not looking at me, waiting for me to allow him to come near. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. I had no idea why. I didn't know the man, and neither did he do anything cool to woo me. But… It was just his personality that made me feel something. It's so simple to respect someone's privacy and opinions. And this man, who doesn't even know me, did both of those.
I shook my head to brush off the thoughts and finally get a hold of myself. I opened the top that I was wearing to reveal my bandaged upper body.
"You… would need to…"
"It's okay, My Lady. I know." The man took a few steps forward and sat just behind me on the bed. My heartbeats went all crazy as he began opening the bandages. I closed my eyes shut, my cheeks already flushing red, but the man continued, without even saying a word. Once he was done, I quickly covered my chest with my top, averting any form of eye contact.
"God, Moon! Why would you even agree to something like this? Are you stupid? A man… is gonna be treating you like this… here- in a village, like Hestia! Gosh… you should never have said yes. Mom was right! Oh, God. This is the most embarrassing thing ever! Could I- Could I possibly make small talk to feel less uncomfortable? No no no no- that's stupid. Gosh, I-"
"My Lady, I have prepared the medicine. Just… don't get afraid by… whatever happens. Wounds like this take some time to heal. But it's important to get out the poisoned blood."
I didn't understand a single word. "Poisoned blood"? "Don't get afraid"? What am I-? A witch in a fairytale movie?
"Yeah, sure." I said anyway and waited to get this over with.
Shivers ran down my spine as his warm hands touched my back. He was blowing on the wounds to make me feel less pained. I closed my eyes and breathed heavily. Even though I didn't want to feel this way, I couldn't help myself. His touch was magic, and even through the pain I could feel his warmth, just next to me, as if I was a part of his story- his fairytale. His hands swiftly moved over my back and the cold medicine made me shudder. Every time I clutched the bedsheets in pain, he stopped instantly and went slower, more compassionately. I felt calm. Serenity washed over me as I closed my eyes.
"It's done." His voice whispered next to my ears. But I was already in some sort of a trance. Peaceful. But just like a storm in the sea, my entire body convulsed and an agonizing pain rushed through my back. I let out an inhuman scream and fell back onto the man's chest. He held me tight. While I could see clear fear and concern in his eyes, he kept his composure as if he was born to do this, confident in every motion of his. I kept convulsing involuntarily and screaming, while the man began whispering something. I couldn't make out the words between my screams and the commotion outside my room. But soon, it was all calm again. I closed my eyes and just lay on the man's chest. I could still feel blood gushing out of my wound, but there was no more pain. I was unconscious. But I still remembered each and every touch of his, along with his final touch on my cheeks, and what felt like a teardrop on my forehead, when he said, "Zacam nalvage, Dione… Zacam."