Herbs and Reflecdions

At the apartment, Micah put the items she wanted into her satchel. Then he carried her and her bag into his apartment. He lay her on the couch so she wouldn't have far to go when she needed the bathroom. Micah slipped off her shoes and covered her with a blanket. Taking the Comfrey from the bag he read the labels. There were directions on use and roughly how to take it, but there were no warning labels or anything. Did she actually trust that stuff? Did it kill pain like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen? He wanted to do more for her, but he wasn't a trained medic and he didn't know if using the plants was different than using prescription drugs. Setting them back in her bag, he took his sandwich to the table and started to eat it.

While he ate, Micah pulled out his laptop and looked up Comfrey. There were FDA warnings about pyrolizidine alkaloids causing liver damage. One website said to be careful because it could be mistaken for Foxglove. He had just finished his sandwich when Zamponia stirred. She sat up slowly and pulled the blanket off her lap. Resting her elbows on her thighs, she rubbed her eyes. Micah left the table and crouched in front of her. He touched her arms lightly. She looked up and he tried to read something, anything, in her eyes that would give him some kind of answer regarding Lavender, herself, and the silvery-white wolf.

"There is much I don't understand," he said.

"I don'd know whaud aunswers I caun 'ive you righd now, Caupdauin," Zamponia replied.

She pulled the purple tube out and twisted two pellets into the lid. She took them. Then she unwrapped the cut on her leg. It looked red and angry and was nearly the entire length of her shin.

"Is it infected?" Micah asked.

"No."

Micah watched as she smeared a layer of Comfrey oil over the incision, placed clean gauze on top, before she wrapped the Ace bandage around it once more.

"How long before it starts to work?"

"Auh few minudes do auh few hours. Depends on how quickly dhe body aubsorbs dhe medicinaul properdies for use."

"Zamponia?"

"Yes?"

"Is it...safe to use?"

"I wouldn'd use id odherwise."

"But the FDA..."

Zamponia shook her head. "The Aumericaun FDAuh haus skewed resulds when id comes do herbs. Herbs used in dheir whole sdaude aure de saufesd medicine in de world."

He nodded resisting the urge to kiss her because her mannerisms were very much like Lavender's. A move The Spirits may not appreciate, despite them nudging him to be near. "…How is it to be chosen by Them?"

She shrugged. "De experience is differend for everyone."

"I guess that makes sense. …Is there anything else you need tonight?"

"Sleep."

"Okay."

Zamponia lay down.

Micah covered her with the blanket. He returned to sit at the table for a little while and watched over her. Her peppered white hair and blue eyes. What had come from The Spirits? What was natural? Would more changes occur? If so, what? As far as he understood—from the stories his grandparents had told him about The Spirits—he thought the Overshadowing was more… physical, more… encompassing. But he could read nothing in Zamponia's eyes that would indicate that such changes as he thought the Overshadowing brought had happened since devoting herself to Them however long ago. But then what of Lavender? Had The Spirits only Overshadowed her to give her a chance to say goodbye to her parents?

Zamponia rolled over, her wounded leg came out from under the blanket. He didn't know how much of his leave Major Parvus would let him use and he wondered if Zamponia would be okay enough to be by herself if/when he was called back to base. If her leg would have healed enough for her to get around without assistance. He also wondered if there was more going on than she was saying. More that she knew, but was keeping quiet about. Much like Lavender did. He sighed. He left the table to do a little cleaning before he retired for the night.

Micah didn't sleep very well. He woke around two and thought he heard the front door close. Getting up, he saw no sign of Zamponia. He glanced outside and saw her sitting on the stairs watching the rain fall. He stepped out and stood behind her.

"Caun'd sleep?" she asked.

"No. You?"

"Nod dired."

"So, what are you doing out here then?"

"Reflecdin'."

"About what?"

"Why I aum where I aum."

"May I ask?" Micah said.

"Whaud's Lauv's story?" Zamponia asked, changing the subject to avoid discussing whatever problem she was trying to puzzle out.

Micah sat on the step beside her. "I don't know how much the two of you have talked. But she's an army medic."

Zamponia nodded.

"While we were deployed, her squad was KIA, but she alone survived. …Because of the way her squad was killed, she was charged with treason. After her trial she had a seizure and needed to be taken to the medical facility on base. She managed to escape, somehow. Managed to make it to her parents for one final goodbye." His eyes watered and he shook his head. "...I still can't believe she would choose suicide by fire."

"Nod suicide. Escaupe."

"Escape? What are you talking about? I was at the house. I could smell…."

She turned to him. Something in her gaze cut off his words. "Did you do somedhin' to mauke her drusd you so liddle?"

Micah looked down at his hands. "I've actually tried hard to make sure she knew she could trust me. …With anything and everything."

"Did you ever dell her you were auh believer?"

He shook his head.

"Dhaud would explauin why you grieve unnecessaurily."

"Unnecessarily?!"

"Did you nod undersdaund whaud I jusd dold you?" Zamponia asked sharply. "De Spirids know how much you love her. Why else would dey 'ive you peauce when you haud none?!"

"Then where is she?" he said, turning tear filled eyes to meet Zamponia's. "If she is alive, then where is she?! Is she safe? Are her needs being met? Is she…?" he couldn't finish the thought.

Zamponia studied him for several long seconds. "If I dold you where to find her, den whaud?"

"I would go AWOL and we'd leave the country; just until I could prove her innocence."

Zamponia scoffed and shook her head. "You sound like my Shaumauh. Reaucdin' withoud dhinkin' dhrough aull of the possibilidies."

"Where is he?"

"Wauidin'."

"For what?"

Zamponia looked out into the rain. "You need to sdauy, Caupdauin Maucauby. You hauve auh mission do fill."

"And what is this mission you speak of?"

She turned her blue wolf-like eyes toward him once more. "You will undersdaund soon enou'h."

"And Lavender? You never answered my question."

"When you caun give Us aun auwnswer regaurdin' your devodion, you will find Lauv." Zamponia stood and limped down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Micah asked.

"For auh waulk."

"The doctor said you need to rest while your leg heals."

"Dhe docdor isn'd auh Spirid."

Micah watched her step out of sight before he wondered if she was going to check on Lavender. He pulled himself to his feet and hurried down the stairs after her. But once he reached the parking lot there was no sign of her. There was no way she could walk that fast limping as she was. Even The Spirits had some limitations, right? Especially when dealing with Human Devotees? Micah ran to one side of the complex then to the other without any sight, or nudge, as to where she would have walked off to. He shivered and folded his arms.

"…I don't understand why You need an answer regarding my devotion," he said to the darkness. "You already know my answer."

He searched the darkness a little more before making his way back to his apartment. He changed into some dry clothes then sat on the couch to wait for Zamponia's return.