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"Now child, that should do." Aura smiled warmly as she firmly secured the new bandage around my shoulder. I moved my arm up and down to get an overall feel of the constriction placed upon it. The pain had already subsided. "Seems much better."

"Thank you ... once again." I acknowledged gratefully. Aura had been so kind to me since our first encounter. Even though she had no need to be. Yes, she too was involved in this sick affair of whatever was happening here in Barnaburgh, but something about her just made me trust her completely.

"Keep the bandage dry for a day or two, it'll allow the herbs to work at their utmost."

"Where did you learn to do all of this?" I asked catching her slightly off guard gesturing to my shoulder. Her methods of herbal remedies seemed implausible to me, they were unparalleled to even modern medication. She paused briefly and smiled gracefully as if reminiscing bygones passed.

"Everyone in this village has a duty to perform, the gift of healing others was passed down as a family tradition of sorts." Aura answered walking across the room to grab a bundle of clothes placed upon a large white chest of drawers."What about you child, do you know of any profession that you would wish to follow in the future?"

I sighed deeply at the thought. Sadness pulled at my heart strings at the thought of my future dream of studying veterinary never becoming a reality. I was trapped here in this village, in the middle of nowhere, and by the looks of things that wasn't about to change. Nothing seemed plausible anymore.

"Here put these on. You'll catch pneumonia if you stay in those clothes." Aura ordered handing me the bundle of dry clothes she had retrieved. I didn't hesitate to oblige either, I was growing colder with every passing minute.

"A vet." I whispered lowly, barely able to speak the words aloud. The room remained silent for a moment as I changed. Aura seemed to be deep in thought.

"Why a vet?" She asked turning to face me inquisitively, her expression unreadable. I took a deep breath in and thought hard about why it was a dream of mine. It was mothers dream. A family tradition of sorts.

"Um... I guess because animals are the only thing pure on this planet. They don't try to hurt other things intentionally, they are only trying to survive, they are only doing as nature has intended." I explained my mind wondering back thinking of the scarred wolf from before that attacked me. The wolf by nature was a hunter, anything was worthy as food, even I. "They know no better."

An image of Eleo briefly passed through my thoughts and I shook my head in shock. Why was I thinking about him all of sudden? What did he have to do with any of this?

Aura displayed an all knowing smile on her countenance. Its like she knew what I was thinking, like she knew my answer to the question before I even opened my mouth to explain. Aura's smile grew wider and her eyes twinkled with amusement.

I cleared my throat slightly embarrassed. My cheeks turned red and I tried to change the subject immediately.

"You know, I think you're the first person I have seen in this village actually wearing normal clothes -"

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!" A voice shouted from the surgery room startling us both. I jolted into the air and looked alarmingly to Aura. A large clatter echoed from inside followed by a rather audible grunt in pain.

"Oh Goddess." Aura rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. She shook her head in disapproval. Who on earth was that?

Further clanging and banging echoed. It sounded as though someone was struggling and tossing everything in their path. Was someone else in there with the wolf? I thought everyone else had left? The door to the surgery room swung open and a man stumbled out completely unclothed holding only his shoulder and neck which was completely laced in herbs and leaves.

"Aura!" The man shouted looking around frantically. He turned to face us both and his eyes widened instantly in shock as they landed upon me.

"Keith?!" I exclaimed loudly in absolute horror. My eyes bloody hell! I cringed and twisted around in the chair turning to face my attention on anything else but him. Bile threatened to spill from my throat in shock. Why on earth was he naked?

"Nice of you to join us once again Keith." Aura shook her head in amusement not seeming bothered by his lack of choice in clothing. Was this normal for them?!

"W-What happened?" Keith asked in panic and Aura looked to me.

"You got hurt during the attack. As did some of the others." She explained placing a hand on my shoulder as I continued to keep my eyes diverted. It was then that I realised I hadn't seen him since before the incident at all. "Perhaps put some clothing on, dear Eliza here isn't used to ... this."

"Oh" Keith mumbled retreating to back inside the surgery room. Moments later he came out again wearing a pair of shorts finally concealing his dignity. I was never going to rid that image from my mind. My poor mind. My poor scarred mind.

I could hear Keith shuffle on his feet nervously. I looked to Aura as she stared at him intently as if once again she was having a conversation with her eyes without talking.

"Sorry Eliza" Keith muttered softly, I almost barely didn't hear him. My eyes widened and I nearly began choking not knowing whether I had heard him correctly. Did those words really just leave his lips? Had he really just apologised to me?

"Are you ok?" He continued. Something was wrong here. Had I missed something? I looked at him as they both awaited my response. Keith, the man who wanted to kill me off just days ago was concerned for my well being.

I merely nodded my head acknowledging his question and his shoulders seemed to slump down in relaxation. I was beyond confused. What had happened to him?

"Are you?" I asked back softly. It seemed as though he had really hurt his shoulder and neck. The injury looked deep, as if an entire chunk of his shoulder had been mauled.

"I uh .. yea. Stupid rogues are a pain." He stuttered out looking at his wound covered in leaves. "I had a... fall.. whilst running away."

"Must of been a nasty fall." I replied curiously. He was lying. Of course he was lying, it was obvious. But why? What was he hiding?

Keith looked up at me warily not daring to say a word more on the matter.

"Hush now. You'll wake the wolf." Aura reprimanded him raising her eyebrows in motion to the surgery. Silence fell among us and Keith continued to look at me cautiously. He knew I was dubious.

Something very strange was going on here. I looked to the door of the surgery room. This wasn't exactly a big building. Were there others hurt in there too? It didn't look like it could hold both a wolf and a fully grown man.

"How many more people are you hiding in there." I asked Aura trying to sound playful but I was more so curious. She raised her eyebrows at me before letting out a light laugh.

"Too many."

Her response pulled at my curiosity even further. Who else was in there?

"Lets go eat. You must be hungry." Keith looked at me trying to avert my attention onto him. "Come, I'll take you."

Why was he being so nice to me? It unsettled me greatly. My mind was beginning to go into overdrive once again. So many questions. Aura seemed to take notice and she began to usher us both out of the infirmary into the snow outside.

I remained silent and followed her slowly through the thick snow towards the large house in the distance. The same house I had been confined in since my arrival here. My throat began to close up at the thought of going back in where I would once again be trapped.

I came to a halt. Keith who was keeping close behind me imitated my halt.

"It's ok." Keith reassured and I turned to face him releasing a breath I didn't realise I had been holding in. "It's gonna be ok."

I stared at him and smiled halfheartedly. "But it's not. It's not ok."

His face turned to one of pity as he looked at me sympathetically. He knew exactly what I meant.

"Come." He stepped forward standing next to me offering me a reassuring smile. Why was he so different towards me now? He was understanding, polite and almost protective. And most notably, he didn't want me dead anymore.

I took a step forward as did he keeping pace with me. As we approached the front door to the huge house I noticed a large swarm of people moving about inside. Keith waited for Aura to enter first and he made sure that I entered after her staying close behind me.

The house became eerily quiet as we entered and Keith growled loudly as we entered the kitchen noticing my uneasiness to all the attention directed towards us. "Mind your own business you stupid mutts."

Not needing another warning, everyone went back to moving around again grabbing at various meats off the dishes lined along the table. There were so many people. Was the entire village here for dinner? My anxiety was itching at me.

"Thank you." I mumbled towards Keith and he simply nodded his head ushering me forward.

A scream filled the kitchen and everyone stopped once again in their tracks. Startled I looked up to find Mia sprinting across the room towards Keith. Jumping on him she wrapped her legs around his torso and pulled him in kissing him deeply. My heart strings pulled. I didn't even realise a smile had graced my lips. It had been days since I had smiled properly like this.

Eleo seemed to notice however. He sat staring at me with an unreadable expression at the head of the table. Next to him sat Aura, Ben and Barry the brooding twins and Sophia. Mia jumped down and pulled me into a crushing hug.

"Mia careful her shoulder!" Keith reprimanded her pulling the two of us apart giving my shoulder a once over. She shoved him playfully out of the way and giggled grabbing my hand dragging me up alongside the table. She sat down placing me beside Sophia. She began filling my plate with loads of different meats.

"Looks like you've made a new friend." Ben and Barry teased Keith as he sat down next to Eleo whose gaze never faltered away from me. What was he thinking about? Why was he always staring at me? It was beginning to seem really creepy.

"Mia, she won't be fit to eat all of that." Keith berated protectively again whilst glaring at his partner. But the interaction didn't quite have my attention. I was getting annoyed at Eleo's incessant staring.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to stare." I remarked nasty to Eleo and everyone gasped around me apart from Aura who merely laughed at my statement.

"He never was one for good manners." Aura shot at him earning her a glare from Eleo. Keith and the rest chuckled under their breaths. They all resumed having conversation with one another. Aura began whispering in hushes with Eleo whose gaze still remained fixiated on me. He wasn't going to stop was he? Keith was currently bickering with Mia who kept firing food at him from across the table. The twins were engrossed in stuffing their gobs and Sophia sat silently beside me pushing the food around her plate deep in thought.

"Are you ok?" I whispered lowly and Sophia looked at me in surprise. Her face sported a large blue bruise and her mouth was cut at the side. I hadn't noticed her injuries at all earlier back in the infirmary, I had been too engrossed in my own feelings and worry.

"Yea - " She began but I cut her off before she could say anything further.

"Don't lie please. I'm so sorry Sophia." I apologised shaking my head staying hushed in hopes none of the others could hear. "You told me to stay and I didn't listen. I should have listened to you."

"I'm the one who should be sorry." She apologised back whispering. "I should have stayed with you. I shouldn't have left you alone. I was meant to protect you. It was my duty."

Tears rimmed her eyes and I could see she was trying hard to keep them back. I merely grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it reassuringly flashing her a smile.

"It's ok. Everything is going to be ok." I whispered to her repeating the words Keith had said to me just moments ago outside. Sophia laughed and nodded her head squeezing my hand back. It seemed as though I had finally made a friend. A real friend. Someone I could rely on. Sophia went back to eating and I stared up at Eleo whose gaze was still fixated on me. Seriously?

I had finally made a friend in the worst and strangest of circumstances. Under the capture of this tyrant. There weren't words to even describe how I felt. Confusion did not do the feeling justice. What had happened earlier? Why was the village attacked by those 'rogue' wolves?

I contined to stare back at Eleo. His hazel eyes dragging my mind deeper and deeper into their murky brown depths. I tried to make sense of the emotions pooling around in my head, such anger I felt towards him, such frustration and skepticism. My heart began to pick up its pace.

"Tell me Eliza.." Eleo spoke confidently an alluring smile adorning his lips. A shiver ran down my spine as I didn't dare look away from his entrancing persona. The room became silent as their leader spoke shocked at his words to follow. "What do you know about wolves?"