Xena, Gabrielle and Callisto do not belong to me. They belong to MCA/Universal/Renaissance.
Part 17 of the Guardian Series
Another beautiful morning had begun in the Greek countryside and as the early birds started singing, a bard slowly opened her eyes. Gabrielle saw the Sun shining in the clear blue sky and yawned. Her mouth was parched, all the jerky and dry bread they had had for dinner wasn’t the best meal they had come up with, but they didn’t have much to choose from. They had left the Amazons nearly a week ago and even though they were given plenty of supplies to go with them, they were now nearly out of even all their dried foods. The family was on their way to Melodia, which was only another day’s journey away.
Gabrielle was rarely the first one to wake up, most of the time both warriors had been up long before her. She had to get up to get something to drink, but it wouldn’t be that easy. As she laid on her side, Xena was lying behind her with her arm draped over Gabrielle’s side. Very carefully, Gabrielle took the warrior’s hand and very gently lifted it from her side and moved it so that she would be free from the Warrior Princess’ clutch. After finishing the delicate operation, Gabrielle slowly got up from their bedroll, she didn’t want to make any sudden moves which could alarm the sleeping but always alert warrior. Lucky for her, Xena just turned over without realizing Gabrielle wasn’t next to her anymore.
Gabrielle walked over to their bags and grabbed a waterskin to take a long drink of water. After emptying nearly the entire waterskin, Gabrielle went to find the spring they had passed the day before to fill all the waterskins.
When she returned to camp only a while later, she found both her spouse and their Guardian happily dozing with no idea she was awake. Knowing that when they’d wake up, they’d be as hungry as half a dozen men, Gabrielle decided to start making breakfast. She found some nice blueberries in the bushes near the spring and she knew just what to do with them. She would mash the berries into a delicious jam and fry some bread with it to make some Gaul toast. It would be a perfect combination with some of the jerky they still had left.
After getting the fire going and finding everything she needed, Gabrielle started making the breakfast she was very hungry for as well. She had her back towards Xena to keep any smoke from blowing into the sleeping warrior’s direction. Suddenly she was startled when something, or better yet, someone touched her back. Normally she would have yelped from the sudden touch, but because the touch had a very familiar feeling to it, Gabrielle wasn’t alarmed. She turned around slowly and was met by the beautiful blue eyes of her tall and dark warrior.
“I love waking up to the smell of your delicious cooking”, Xena said, trying to be very charming and flattering. She looked at Gabrielle’s gorgeous emerald eyes before pecking a kiss just below the bard’s right ear.
After this Gabrielle focused on not burning the meal she was cooking and the warrior got up and walked up to their young companion, who still hadn’t woken up.
Xena kneeled beside her, laid her hand on Exl’s shoulder and said calmly:
“Exl, time to get up. Breakfast is ready.” Usually the younger warrior would get up practically instantly, but now she just mumbled something and barely even budged. Xena took this as a sign that the Loyal wanted to spend a while longer in the land of Morpheus, so she tried to trick Exl into getting up faster.
“If you don’t get up now, I’ll eat your share. Gabrielle has made Gaul toast”, Xena said knowing this would work for sure. But when Exl replied:
“Go ahead, you can have it” with a silent whisper and without turning to face Xena, the older warrior was starting to wonder what was wrong.
“Come on you sleepy head, it’s such a wonderful morning, why are you acting like this?” Xena asked, but didn’t get a straight answer from Exl. Instead, the Loyal sat up and lifted her head to look at her companion, and what Xena saw was enough to explain Exl’s unusual behavior. Exl’s face was otherwise pale, but her cheeks were very blushed and some drops of sweat were also visible on her forehead. Her eyes were reddish and tired, and the bright blue-green color of her irises had faded into a light shade of grey. With all the small details together, for a split second it almost felt as if Xena would have been looking at a poor duplicate of Exl, but she wasn’t.
“Xena, I don’t feel so good. I’m cold and absolutely exhausted”, Exl said looking into Xena’s amazed eyes. Xena quickly felt Exl’s forehead and cheeks and replied:
“Well you are pretty warm, you’re getting quite the fever. Do you have any other aches or pains?” This could just be a case of the common cold and fever, but Xena didn’t know how Exl would be affected by this common illness. Exl had never been sick while traveling with Xena and Gabrielle so far. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Exl closed her eyes for a few seconds and then answered:
“My head and neck are aching, like I would have been stomped by the Minotaur.”
For now all of Exl’s symptoms were indicating that the Loyal had nothing more than a cold, but it was too early to say if she had something more serious.
“Just lie down and take it easy. I’ll be right back”, Xena said and walked over to Gabrielle at a fast pace.
“Gabrielle, could you boil some water and make some tea? As fast as you possibly can”, Xena said looking at the bard with concern.
“Xena, we’ve been out of tea for a few days now, you know it. Why, what’s the matter?” Gabrielle asked, being surprised why Xena seemed so anxious.
“Exl has a bit of a fever, I thought giving her some tea with some herbs would make her feel better, but I completely forgot we’ve run out of tea”, Xena said to her spouse.
“Poor Exl, how is she feeling?” Gabrielle asked, looking into Exl’s direction.
“She has a headache, she looks pale and her eyes are somewhat red, so I think she just has the cold.”
“Shouldn’t we break camp right away and head straight for Melodia, so that we could get some more food and tea, and something for Exl’s cold?” Gabrielle enquired.
“Melodia is too far away, it’s still a day’s walk from here and I don’t want Exl to go any further than what’s necessary. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a little village west from here about a candlemark away. We should head that way, we could all use a few good night’s rest at an inn”, Xena said and Gabrielle nodded agreeing with the warrior.
Gabrielle took Exl some breakfast and the young warrior was able to eat some of it, but it was far from her usual appetite. Xena told Exl that they would break camp and head towards the village nearby so that they could get some supplies and some rest in a cozy inn. Usually, Exl would have said that they wouldn’t have to change their plans because of her and that she was fit enough to head straight to Melodia, but now she was feeling very poorly and she didn’t know how far she would be able to walk. Gabrielle was very worried about her Loyal but knew that everything would turn out better once they got to the village, got Exl some medicine and then rested for a day or two.
After getting everything packed, they were ready to start heading towards the village.
“Exl, wouldn’t you rather ride Argo than walk? You should try to save your strength”, Xena said to Exl as she stroked Argo’s neck. Exl looked at Xena and Argo, and trying to bring a smile to her face, she replied:
“No, I’m fine. The walk will do me good and I feel better now that I had some breakfast.”
Xena shook her head and thought to herself: “Stubborn”. Gabrielle could see that even though Exl claimed she was feeling better, she was still very pale and that she might collapse at any moment.
After they had walked for about half a candlemark, they heard sounds of a struggle in the distance and it sounded like someone was in trouble.
The women raced to the scene and saw that three fairly young men were being threatened and moments away from being robbed by three bandits who had the upper hand.
“Three against three, a nice even fight”, Xena said, seeing the situation as it was.
“Are you up to it Exl?” Gabrielle asked the seemingly tired young Loyal. Exl tried to seem like she was feeling great, she didn’t want to show that she was feeling weak and replied:
“Sure I am. Do you think I’d want to miss a morning exercise like this?”
“So what are we waiting for?” Xena said and shouted her fierce war cry to get the bandits’ attention. Simultaneously, the bandits and their victims turned towards the direction of the source of the war cry. Seeing the women, the bandits thought they’d be able to have some fun with them. But what would happen next was definitely not what they had in mind.
Xena did a flip to get in front of the bandits as Gabrielle was approached by another one. The young men were watching the two women fight when the last one of the bandits stepped closer to them and once again demanded that they’d hand him all their money and valuables. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder and when he turned around, he didn’t see anyone there. When he turned back, he was punched straight in the chin and was knocked down. The men were amazed by the sight, a warrior who wasn’t that big herself, had simply punched the large thug and knocked him out.
Exl took a step closer to the men and asked:
“Are you okay?”, but before she could get an answer from them, Exl saw the shadow in front of her which was cast by a large person behind her. Without even turning around Exl shook her head saying:
“Why do I always get the big guys who never stay down?” The bandit was angry and ready to grab Exl by the shoulders, but instead when he leaned forward, Exl did a backflip and landed right on the thug’s shoulders. The bandit didn’t have time to react before Exl pushed down on his shoulders making him lose his balance and fall straight forward. When the bandit finally hit the ground, he was knocked unconscious by the fall and as Exl landed steadily on her feet, she sighed of relief and breathed heavily. She was more exhausted than before, the fight had drained her out of all the energy she had left, even though the fight had only lasted for a few minutes. Exl took a few steps toward the men and was about to ask the men something when she heard a grunt behind her and the men pointed at something as one of them warned her:
“Look out behind you!” As Exl turned around, she noticed that the bandit had regained his consciousness and had dragged himself towards Exl and was now about to grab her ankle. Exl just rolled her eyes and with one strong kick directed to the bandit’s forehead, the thug was now completely knocked out cold and wouldn’t probably wake up for a good while.
“Why can’t they just stay down?” Exl said out loud as she turned to glance at Xena and Gabrielle’s direction. They had both knocked down the rest of the bandits and were now walking towards Exl and the men.
“Are you hurt? Did those bandits get anything?” Gabrielle asked the men. The men all seemed to be just fine and one of them, a man in his mid 20s with dark grey hair and grey eyes said:
“We’re fine, thank you. The bandits ended up with nothing, thanks to all three of you. I thought these roads would be safe, or so we were told.”
“Usually there aren’t any bandits around here but occasionally some new gang decides to try their luck before running into some town’s militia”, Xena said, sheathing her sword.
“Where are you headed?” Gabrielle asked very straightforwardly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, let me introduce myself, my name is Vycios and these are my friends and colleagues Crucios and Malicios. We’re huntsmen from Oryx on our way to Tyros. We heard they’re having some trouble with some kind of creature that has been terrorizing the village”, the apparent leader of the men said introducing them.
“My name is Xena, this is my wife Gabrielle and this is Exl, our friend and Guardian”, Xena said and Gabrielle smiled beside her.
“We’re all very pleased to meet you, thank you once again for helping us”, Vycios thanked the women bowing his head.
“It was nothing, this is what we do”, Gabrielle said, nudging Xena in the side with her elbow.
“Yes, we come across thugs like this on a daily basis. These men will think twice before trying to loot another peaceful traveler”, Xena said, glancing at the bandits who laid unconscious on the ground.
“We were lucky that you were in the area. We were starting to think that we would lose everything we had,” the man called Malicios said with a smile.
“Is your friend alright? She looks very pale”, Vycios said pointing at Exl, and Gabrielle and Xena turned to look at their young companion who looked paler than before and like she would pass out at any moment. Exl tried to say something and take a step forward, but at the brink of losing consciousness she tumbled forward and would have been very close to falling if it hadn’t been for Xena’s lightning fast reflexes. With a few quick strides, Xena was there to catch Exl before she completely lost her balance and after she had a firm grip on the young warrior, Xena carefully felt her forehead and cheeks.
“She’s starting to burn up. We have to get her to the village as soon as we can”, Xena said to Gabrielle and the men looked at her sympathetically.
“Is there anything we can do?” one of the men, Crucios, asked, to which Xena replied:
“Unless you have some herbs to help her fever, then I’m afraid not.” All three men shook their heads apologetically.
Xena whistled for Argo, and as the palomino mare walked up to them, Xena looked at Exl with a serious but calm look and said:
“Exl, you’re going to get up on Argo and ride the rest of the way. You’re not taking another step on foot.” Exl tried once again to seem as if she wasn’t that sick and protested:
“But Xena…” This time Gabrielle was the one to speak as she approached the warriors carrying her and Exl’s bags:
“No buts young Guardian. We don’t want you to get deathly ill in the middle of practically nowhere. You’re riding Argo to the village and that’s final. Do I make myself clear?” Exl saw the stern look in Gabrielle’s eyes and couldn’t say no to the Amazon Queen.
“Yes, Gabrielle.” Both Gabrielle and Xena smiled and nodded with satisfaction after Exl had finally given up and climbed in Argo’s saddle. She wasn’t that happy to ride on Argo, it wasn’t about her not liking Argo or vice versa, in fact she and Argo came along very well. She just didn’t want to seem weak in front of her family and have them worry about her.
But she had to admit that she would never be able to walk to Tyros in this condition, she had no idea if she would pass out in the next minute or in the next candlemark.
“We’re also on our way to Tyros, would you like to walk with us?” Xena said to Vycios and the other men as they were just about to continue their travel. Vycios looked at his friends who nodded and then Vycios turned back to the warriors and the bard replying:
“We would be honored, and apparently it will be much safer for us if we want to get to Tyros with all our belongings.”
So the group finally got back on the road and at this pace they’d be in Tyros in no time.
“Vycios, earlier you said something about a creature that is terrorizing Tyros. What kind of creature are we talking about?” Xena asked, trying to engage in some conversation.
“A cyclops, harpy, manticore or maybe a chimera?” Gabrielle tried guessing but Vycios kept shaking his head at each one of Gabrielle’s guesses.
“No, something much rarer. A werewolf”, Vycios said finally and the women were surprised to hear this.
“A werewolf? I thought they were just a myth, part of an old horror story”, Exl said feeling exhausted but wanting to participate in the conversation.
“That’s what most people think. But there has always been some wandering around since the days of king Lycaon. Very few have seen werewolves, but even fewer have met a werewolf and lived to tell about it”, Vycios replied, glancing at the younger warrior.
“Who was king Lycaon?” Exl asked because she had never heard the story of the cursed king Lycaon.
“There is a legend that tells of king Lycaon of Arcadia, who once angered the gods with a devious trick. Zeus got furious and turned Lycaon into a wolf-like beast which terrorized towns and villages especially during the full moon. It’s said that all werewolves are descendants of Lycaon or the unfortunate victims of the werewolves who have been transformed into beasts themselves”, Gabrielle explained immediately after Exl’s question.
“Yes, and if these beasts aren’t stopped, they could start attacking more and more people to quench their thirst for blood or to increase their numbers. Werewolves are vicious and bloodthirsty creatures that can only think about killing. Our village community was once attacked by a werewolf, but we managed to kill it because that’s what we’ve been trained for. Several months ago we heard that several surrounding villages had been attacked by more werewolves, so my friends and I formed this “hunting group” so to speak and ever since then we’ve been traveling around Greece killing all werewolves we come across”, Vycios continued.
“How many have you caught and killed so far?” Xena asked.
“Four in just about five months and the one in Tyros will hopefully be number five”, Vycios responded.
“Isn’t capturing werewolves very dangerous?” Gabrielle enquired.
“Well yes, but we have a certain strategy we follow every time. Most times we’ve caught the werewolf during the first night we arrive at the village. We outsmart the beast when they least expect it”, Vycios explained. Xena was intrigued, she had never seen a werewolf herself, but during her travels she had heard stories about them. She was thinking about maybe asking Vycios some more about them, but now her first priority was to get her sick friend some help.
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Finally, they arrived in Tyros and found the inn in the middle of the village. Exl got down from Argo easily and patted the mare while whispering to her:
“Thanks for the ride girl, I promise to get you some of those delicious apples you love after I get better.” Argo whinnied as an apparent “you’re welcome” and a “thank you” for the future treats. At the inn, Xena gave a boy a few dinars to take Argo to the stables and to see that she’ll be looked after. The boy took Argo’s reins and headed to the stables nearby.
“Gabrielle, why don’t you and Exl go and get us some rooms while I’ll go to see the village healer to get some herbs for Exl’s fever”, Xena said as they stood in front of the inn.
“Of course. Vycios, are you and friends going to stay at the inn?” Gabrielle replied.
“We will, but first we’re going to meet with the village leader to learn as much as we can about the werewolf in the area. If we’re lucky, we might be able to capture the beast very soon”, Vycios said as he and his men took their gear and went to find whoever was in charge of the village’s affairs.
“Come on Exl, let’s get inside. I’m sure you can’t wait to get some sleep in a nice cozy bed”, Gabrielle said, taking their bags. Exl would’ve volunteered to carry some of their things, but she knew Gabrielle wouldn’t let her even touch a single bag.
They walked inside and were greeted by a friendly innkeeper.
“Welcome to the Hunter’s Inn, are you here to stay the night?” the man asked as Gabrielle and Exl walked up to him.
“Yes, we need two rooms, one for two and the other for one person”, Gabrielle said with a smile of her own.
“How long will you be staying?” the innkeeper asked, marking the reservations in his book.
“At least a few nights”, Gabrielle said, taking out her pouch of money. The innkeeper took two keys and gave them to Gabrielle.
“The rooms are at the end of the right corridor. Is your friend alright? Should I get the healer?” the innkeeper said, turning to look at Exl. The young warrior was starting to doze off standing up and she had to lean against the counter to keep her balance.
“No, thank you. She just needs some rest and my spouse is getting some medicine for her. When she arrives, could you tell her where we are? A tall, dark, fierce looking warrior. You can’t miss her”, Gabrielle said, paying for their rooms. The innkeeper nodded and went back to the kitchen as Gabrielle turned to Exl.
“Okay, now, let’s get you to your room”, she said and took hold of Exl’s arm.
After finding their rooms, Gabrielle opened the door to a small but cozy room which had a single bed in it. She guided Exl to the bed and told her to take off her boots and weapons and then to lie down. Exl did as she was told and Gabrielle put her bag and her weapons on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Exl couldn’t believe how soft the bed felt, but in her condition she could’ve been sleeping on a pile of rocks and she wouldn’t have noticed. Gabrielle fluffed Exl’s pillow and then asked:
“How’s that? Nice and cozy? How are you feeling?” Exl took a deep breath and sighed.
“Yes, it’s very nice and soft. I’m not feeling that well, even though I don’t want to admit it. I hate getting sick, I hate it when people do everything for me and I just have to lie still”, she said looking at Gabrielle with her pale grey eyes.
“Everyone gets sick sometimes, remember when that high fever really knocked me out and you went to get that potion from the witch?” Gabrielle reminded.
“Of course I do, Xena and I were afraid that we might lose you. But this is nothing compared to that, I just have a bit of fever”, Exl replied underrating her condition.
Gabrielle was just about to say something when someone knocked on the door. Xena entered and walked over to her family.
“Here Exl, drink this. I had the healer make you this medicine. I got some of the same herbs in case we need to prepare some more. It should bring the fever down in no time”, Xena said, pouring the liquid from a vial into a cup and giving it to Exl. She downed it with one gulp and said handing back the cup:
“It tastes really bitter.”
“I know, but trust me, the herbs work wonderfully. Now with a few day’s rest you’ll be in the shape of your life. You’ll feel like a brand new person”, Xena said ruffling her friend’s hair just a bit.
“Whatever you say Xena”, Exl said with a small smile.
“I’m getting hungry, how about you Xena?” Gabrielle said and Xena nodded.
“What about you Exl, is your appetite any better than this morning?” Xena asked the patient.
“I guess I could try eating something in a little while. Now I just want to relax and gain back some of my strength”, Exl replied with a yawn. Xena and Gabrielle said they’d go eat something and ask the innkeeper to fix her something simple and easy to eat.
Trying to show that she hadn’t lost her spirit or her sense of humor, Exl said that she wouldn’t be going anywhere.
After eating some roasted chicken and vegetables, Gabrielle and Xena were sitting at their table talking about what they would do next.
“After Exl gets better, we should head straight to Melodia. The people might start to wonder where we are if they don’t hear from us soon”, Xena said.
“Can’t we send them a message and explain why we might be late?” Gabrielle asked, emptying her cup.
“I’ll do that if it looks like we’ll be detained longer than a few days. I don’t want to worry them but I have to inform them if we won’t be there as we promised”, Xena said, rolling her empty cup on the table. The innkeeper came to their table and inquired:
“Excuse me Xena, the meal for your friend is ready. Shall I take it to her?”
“If you would just bring it here, we’ll take it to her. Thank you”, Xena said and stopped playing with her cup. The innkeeper nodded and took away their dishes before bringing the tray to their table.
“I’ll take this to Exl and check up on her, I hope her fever is finally coming down”, Gabrielle said standing up and taking the tray. Xena stood up as well and continued:
“You do that, I’ll see what Vycios and his men learned from their meeting with the village leader. If something has turned up, I’ll let you know.”
Exl was feeling a bit better when she turned to look at the opening door to her room.
“Exl, I brought you some food, I hope you’re hungry”, Gabrielle said carrying the tray. She lowered the tray on the table next to the bed and Exl sat up to see what Gabrielle had brought her.
“Thanks Gabrielle. I was starting to get a little hungry”, Exl said as she looked at what was on the tray. There was some soft bread, pieces of roast chicken and a bowl of broth. It was the perfect dish for a recovering patient.
When Exl had finished everything, Gabrielle took a bowl from the other table, poured some cool water in it and carried the bowl with her to the bed. She sat down on the bed next to Exl, wetted a cloth and then started to wipe Exl’s forehead trying to ease her feverish sensation.
“Does it feel like the fever would’ve gone down, even a bit? You still feel pretty warm”, she said as she felt Exl’s forehead.
“I don’t really know. I still feel exhausted and weak, so either the medicine Xena gave me hasn’t worked yet or then I’m just really exhausted from everything else”, Exl said with fever-blushed cheeks.
“Well, you did compete in the Race of Warriors and it was very tough both physically and mentally. Maybe that and everything else we’ve faced lately has taken its toll on you and by raising a fever your body is trying to send you a message that you need to rest”, Gabrielle said, trying to think of everything rationally.
“Come on Gabrielle, I’m a warrior and we both know that the life of a warrior is tough. But I guess you’re right, maybe my body just really needs to rest. Come to think of it, I remember when I was younger and training with my grandfather, I would just go on and on even though my grandfather told me to rest and take it easy every once and awhile. Eventually I ended up passing out once during training and I had to rest for nearly a week so that my body could recover”, Exl remembered.
Gabrielle saw a blood stain near the shoulder of Exl’s shirt and as she moved the collar of the shirt to check her shoulder, she saw a cut which wasn’t that deep but at least 2 inches long on Exl’s left collarbone.
“Exl, when did you get a cut like this?” Exl turned to look at the wound and staring at the dark red cut, she shook her head and replied:
“I… I don’t know. It wasn’t there this morning. I must have gotten it when we encountered those bandits, but I can’t remember that the big guy I fought would’ve even laid a finger on me.” Gabrielle cleaned the wound and said as she got up to put away the bowl:
“It doesn’t matter, it’s all cleaned now. It’ll be just another scar in a few days.”
“Yey, another scar to my endless collection”, Exl said partly sarcastically and partly amused. Gabrielle laughed at Exl’s comment and had just put the bowl back on the other table when she heard Exl say behind her:
“I feel like such a burden. You shouldn’t be here nursing me and we should be on our way to Melodia instead of staying here.”
“Nonsense, you’re not a burden. We’re family and family looks after one another, right? We’ll be back on the road just as soon as you’re feeling better. You just focus on getting that fever down and regaining all your strength and stamina”, Gabrielle said, stroking Exl’s arm gently.
A knock was heard on the door and Gabrielle told the person to come in, thinking it was Xena. But it was the innkeeper who opened the door just enough to peek inside and say:
“I’m sorry to disturb you. Gabrielle, Xena wants to see you outside.” Gabrielle thanked him and asked if everything was okay with Exl. Exl said she was fine and that Gabrielle should go to see what Xena wanted. Gabrielle said they’d come and see her before turning in for the night, to which Exl said that they could take all the time they needed.
Outside the inn, Xena, Vycios and his friends were waiting for Gabrielle, who walked out the inn only minutes after Xena had sent the innkeeper to take a message to her.
“What is it Xena?” Gabrielle asked walking up to her wife and the men.
“Vycios and his men are going to hunt for the werewolf tonight. They asked if we’d help them”, Xena responded.
“We could always use another pair or two of eyes in the forest. None of the villagers we talked to could tell for sure where they had seen a glimpse of the beast. And all of them are too frightened to go in the forest at night time”, Vycios explained.
Xena turned to look at Gabrielle who wasn’t that fond of the idea of wandering around in the forest with a creature they had never seen before and that could be anywhere.
“I don’t know Xena. We should be resting and looking after Exl. Besides, we don’t know anything about werewolves, so what can we do?” Gabrielle said to Xena who could understand what the bard meant.
“You’re right Gabrielle. I’m sorry Vycios, but we’re going to have to sit this one out. We really have to see if Exl has started recovering and get some rest ourselves. But if anything turns up, you’ll know where to find us”, Xena said to the men.
They didn’t seem disappointed at all and Vycios replied:
“That’s okay Xena. We understand. Family always comes first. Well, wish us luck and hope that we’ll capture the beast before it can cause any more damage.” The men started walking towards the forest as the women stood outside the inn for a moment.
“Xena, do you think that we should have gone with them?” Gabrielle asked, feeling a bit guilty. Xena shook her head saying:
“No, they’ll be fine. You’re right about us needing the rest. And remember what Vycios said about how many werewolves they’ve caught? Four in the last five months. They’ll probably catch this one before morning.”
“Of course they will, that’s what they’ve been trained for”, Gabrielle pointed out.
They returned to the inn and went to check up on Exl. They talked for a while and then decided it was finally time to get some sleep. Xena and Gabrielle wished Exl good night and went to their room next door. After being on the road for a while, sleeping in a soft bed was always a luxury. Gabrielle took her place in Xena’s arms and dozed off nearly immediately after wishing the warrior good night. Xena was awake for a few more minutes thinking of turning down Vycios when he had asked for their help. But having faith that the experienced hunters would capture the werewolf by themselves, Xena decided to forget about it for the night.
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The next morning, after sleeping soundly for the entire night, Xena got up and went to the bar to order some breakfast for the three of them.
“Good morning Xena, I hope you slept well?” the innkeeper asked seeing Xena.
“Yes, thank you. Could we have some breakfast in about half a candlemark?” Xena replied.
“Of course, I’ll make the house specialty for you. Did you hear what happened last night?” the innkeeper said, lowering his voice slightly.
“No, what happened?” Xena asked intrigued, thinking he had news about the werewolf being captured.
“The beast killed two sheep at the farm near the village. The hunters were in the forest all night and didn’t even see a glimpse of the creature. They hadn’t even heard anything during their lookout” was the innkeeper’s reply before he went back to the kitchen.
Xena thought this was very odd, but talking to Vycios would have to wait until after breakfast.
The innkeeper brought breakfast to the entire family as they sat waiting in Exl’s room. Their plates were full and they had to admit that this was better than anything they could’ve made themselves while on the road.
“So Vycios and his men didn’t see or hear anything last night? How is that possible?” Gabrielle wondered as she was finishing the last pieces of fruit on her plate.
“Maybe they just got unlucky. What if they set up their lookout spot somewhere deep in the forest and the werewolf attacked the sheep at the other side of the forest? If werewolves are anything like ordinary wolves, they must have a great sense of smell. Maybe the beast smelled them from further away and managed to get around them”, Exl said while drinking her tea. Xena didn’t say anything for a moment and Gabrielle tried to get her attention by calling her name. Then the warrior snapped out of her trance and said:
“I have to talk to Vycios, speculating won’t answer any of our questions.”
Xena said she’d head out for a moment, to check on Argo and to see if she’d find Vycios closeby. Gabrielle said she’d take their breakfast tray back and then keep Exl company.
Xena walked to the stables to see Argo and saw that the mare was enjoying some oats. Xena patted Argo’s neck and said:
“Good girl Argo, I hope you’re enjoying these few days of rest and the good food just as much as the rest of us. Don’t worry, Exl is going to be fine, she’s as strong as a bear.” The horse whinnied and then continued to eat her oats.
After leaving the stables, Xena walked around the village and was just about to go see the farm where the sheep had been killed when she heard someone call her.
“Xena!” a young man’s voice said behind her and as she turned around, Xena saw that it was Vycios who was coming from the edge of the forest.
“Hello Vycios”, Xena greeted the man and continued after he had walked up to her:
“I heard that you didn’t have any luck last night. What happened?”
“We went to the forest to search for the werewolf’s prints. But the prints lead us away from the farm and the village, we followed them for quite a while before stopping to wait for the creature to appear. It was only when we returned to the village that we heard about the sheep”, Vycios said pointing towards the direction where they had seen the paw prints.
“Maybe you were following an old set of prints, or maybe the beast made the tracks to mislead you,” Xena suggested.
“No, the tracks were fresh, they were made just before we arrived. Werewolves are fierce but they’re not that smart. They’re just animals with animal instincts, they’re not as clever as humans”, Vycios said, dismissing Xena’s idea.
“But they used to be humans, who says that some can’t still have some of their human sense left in them?” Xena pointed out.
“Smart or not, we’re going to catch it and destroy it so that it won’t kill another animal or try to attack any humans ever again”, Vycios said bluntly. He headed towards the inn as Xena wondered why he seemed so tense.
Xena also returned to the inn and didn’t get far past the front door when Gabrielle walked up to her.
“Xena, I don’t understand, Exl’s fever is still pretty high”, Gabrielle said with worry.
“It should’ve come down at least a bit by now, I gave her the medicine yesterday and it usually works pretty quickly. Hasn’t her fever gone down even the slightest?” Xena was surprised to hear the news.
“Well that’s the weird part. After waking up this morning her forehead felt almost normal, but now she’s burning hot. What was in that fever medicine you gave her? Gabrielle noted.
“Some yarrow, elderberries and peppermint for the fever and angelica, echinacea, a hint of wolfsbane and lemon juice for her cold. They’ve always worked before without a problem. I’ll make her another batch of the potion and take it to her right now”, Xena said trying to remember if she had forgotten a vital ingredient.
“Xena, you don’t think that this is something more serious than just a regular fever? I can’t bear it if Exl…” Gabrielle said with a clear sadness in her voice. Xena took the bard into a warm embrace and said with comforting words:
“Hey, shhh… You know Exl just as well as I do, she’ll get through this. She just has a fever, we’ve been through worse things than this. Gabrielle, have faith.” Gabrielle looked up at Xena and felt relieved seeing the reassuring gaze in the warrior’s azure eyes.
“I’ll order us lunch, you go and see Exl, okay?” Gabrielle said, withdrawing from the embrace. Xena nodded and when Gabrielle walked to the bar, Xena went to get the herbs and prepare the potion.
“Exl, I want you to drink another dose of the potion I gave you before”, Xena said, giving Exl the cup with the medicine. Exl took it and asked before agreeing to drink it:
“But why? You said that one dose is usually enough to help the fever go down.”
“Gabrielle said that your fever is still pretty high and I thought it wouldn’t hurt if you take another dose. You know how concerned Gabrielle is about the two of us if we get injured or get sick”, Xena said, reminding Exl of Gabrielle’s caring nature. Exl drank the bitter potion and after finishing it, she noted:
“You know what’s strange, Xena? This morning when I woke up, I was feeling better, much better compared to yesterday. I thought the medicine had really worked, but then I felt my forehead and it was pretty warm. I feel okay, but I still have a fever, how is this possible?”
“I haven’t got a clue, maybe this fever is tougher than we thought. But after this second dose it should be gone soon. Gabrielle is having the innkeeper prepare us some lunch, he should be bringing yours any moment now. Gabrielle and I will get some supplies so that when you’re back to your normal self, we can get back on the road”, Xena said, taking the cup from Exl and putting it on the table. Xena was just leaving the room when the innkeeper came in carrying a tray with food for the hungry patient.
“Xena, should we help Vycios and his men somehow, maybe we should go and look for the werewolf with them?” Gabrielle asked as they were finishing their lunch.
“There’s something odd about this, something just doesn’t feel right”, Xena said with her usual thoughtful expression.
“What do you mean?” Gabrielle wondered. Xena shook her head and continued:
“I can’t say for sure, but remember what Vycios said about the strategy they use to capture the werewolves. He implied they usually capture them during the first night, which means they’re really good at what they do. But last night, they were nowhere near where the werewolf was, they didn’t even see it. There’s something suspicious about it but I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“What do you think we should do?” Gabrielle asked, tracing her finger along the edge of her cup.
Xena was silent for a while before she got up and walked up to the bar. Gabrielle followed her trying to figure out what Xena was up to.
“Does your village have a wise man or a soothsayer of some kind?” Xena asked the innkeeper.
“I’m afraid not, but our scribe is a wise old man. He knows a lot of things and is the closest thing we have to a wise man”, the innkeeper explained.
“Where can we find him?” Gabrielle asked in turn.
“Go past the stables and the healer, it’s the last cabin before the mill”, was the innkeeper’s answer.
End of part 1