The fire was crackling peacefully, and an aroma of pleasant cooking filled her nostrils. A warm blanket was nestled all around her, and before she could even ask she noticed a glass of fresh clear water sitting on a small table just beside her. As she leaned up, she noticed her hound sitting calmly on a small bench, gazing with obvious concern. The creature perked its ears up and stood a bit as Teauria sat up further.
She began to feel unsettled suddenly. Where was she? She must be safe. No need to worry. Right? Obviously someone was caring for her. But who? It must be a woodswoman, she decided. Maybe even a druid. Who else would take such care as to nestle a wounded young woman in a thick cozy blanket? And also her wounds were bandaged. Who but a caring woman would tenderly clean the blood from her body but some caring mother of the forest?
Her imagination was interrupted when a strong woodsman with one of the largest beards she’d ever seen stepped in briskly, closing the door and locking it behind him. He stamped off his boots, slung a powerful looking bow and quiver on a rack by the door, then removed a thick jacket of hide and fur. This complete, he walked purposefully to the hearth, took a kettle from a nearby shelf, and was soon boiling water for tea.
“I expect you’ll like some warm tea, since your awake.”
She hadn’t realized he had even noticed her, and was almost sure he’d forgotten she was here. She was too surprised to answer right away.
His gaze swung over to meet hers. “I’ll make the tea. You can drink it. We’ll talk when you feel like it. You can eat soon, but not yet.”
Then he walked to the other side of the room and began preparing ingredients for a simple meal. He was silent as he worked.
After a few minutes, she leaned herself down and fell back to sleep. She ended up sleeping a couple of days, waking only briefly for sips of water and soup, or to get rid of sips of water and soup.
One day, she was actually well enough to remain awake long enough to hold a conversation.
“So…you saved me from those monsters?”
“I did. I had some help, of course. There too many to fight alone. You were brave but foolish to put yourself in that situation.” Really he had fought them all himself single-handedly, and with ease, while also finishing off a leg of roast turkey and a flagon of ale he’d been snacking on before hearing her screams.
“Well I owe you my life then. How could I ever repay you?”
“You owe me literally nothing. Its my job. The mayor of your little village hires me to watch the woods. I watch the woods. I watch the people in the woods, and I watch the animals and trees and the monsters. When things go wrong, I deal with it. It’s literally my actual job description, from when I got hired.”
“What…” Teauria was puzzled again. If there was a woodsman looking after the woods, how had the wounded man come to her farm? She asked him of this.
“Impossible. I would know. I won’t bore you with how, but trust me. I know ever beetle in this wood, every owl’s nest and every fawn’s first step. I don’t know what you’ve been dreaming, but that’s not possible.”
But it was possible. She felt sudden panic. The letter! Now it was her being rescued. Her clothes being gone through! Had he seen it? Would he know?
“Anyway, you and your cat should be ok to go back to your farm soon. There’s no point in keeping on down this trail, it will only get worse from here.”
“She’s a hound.”
“She’s a cat, she’s clearly a cat. Large cat, very cute.”
“She’s a fierce and mighty hound! She slayed a goblin!”
“She bit a goblin. Are you ok? That is a cat.”
“Hound.”
“Whatever. You got hit on the head. Someday you’ll realize its a cat.”
“Hound.”
He stood up. He wasn’t used to this sort of battle from squirrels and oak trees.
She soon fell back to sleep, dreaming of mighty leaping warhounds battling bloodthirsty trolls. The woodsman layed an extra blanket on her, ramped up the fire, and filled the cat’s water bowl.
