28 Endless Desert (4)

The shaman and chief and stood at their entrance. They were surprised to Adom carrying in a tiny figure. The face of the person was turned and they could only see the back, and were unsure of the person's sex.

"Is that the one?" the chief asked doubtfully. This person looked weak and unimpressive. How could they possibly be the savior? But before the chief could make further inquiries the others came in.

All of them were in bad shape and the one that was being carried on the back looked dead.

Before the chief could say more the shaman came forward, "Place that man here. He needs immediate treatment."

Uri went to where the shaman had pointed and gently placed Elon on the carpeted ground.

The shaman examined the patient and then looked up, "All of you can do no good here. Go eat, bathe and rest. The condition you are in now will bring your friend more harm than good." The shaman shooed the tottering guards away. The only ones left were Elon, the shaman, the chief, and Adom holding the unconscious A-Narah.

"What should I do with her?" Adom asked and held up the sleeping girl.

"Boy didn't you hear what I said? Eat, bathe, sleep. Go give her to one of the women to take care of unless you plan to do it yourself?" the shaman said with a lifted eyebrow.

A tinge of pink dyed Adom's neck as he turned his face away, "*Ahem* I will bring her to my mother then," Adom said and left hurriedly.

"I admire that boy's dedication to training, but he needs some experience with women. Maybe I should speak to his father about getting him a few wives…" the chief pondered.

The shaman turned his head back over his shoulder, his stare landing on the chief, "Didn't you hear what I said? Get out."

"Hey, hey I'm still the chief of this tribe and this is my tent," the chief muttered.

"You're right you are the chief and you are not needed now. Go take your sword and find something to hit it with outside." The shaman waved him off, wanting to get rid of the big nuisance.

Grumbling the big nuisance did as he was told, picking up his sword and leaving to find some warriors to go bully.

Once the chief had left the shaman put his focus back on Elon.

He peeled back the bandages covering Elon's torso to get a look at the injury. What he saw was frightening. Massive gauges ran down his back. They were red and swelling. Someone had some treatment to it. They were properly stitched up, but there was some infection to it and the stiches had to be redone.

Taking a small pair of scissors, he cut away the stitches and when the wounds opened a mixture of black blood and puss came out. Not even blinking at the sight the shaman continued his treatment. He sprinkled medicine into the wounds, making the man below twitch in pain.

"Good you are alive enough to still know what pain is." The shaman paused until Elon stopped moving before continuing. He took a dark mixture and poured it on a cloth and lightly brushed it over the wounds. He then took another bottle and poured it straight onto the back.

Elon lifted his head and let a loud scream of agony. The shaman ignored him and just hummed.

He took out a heated disinfected needle and string and began to stich the wounds again. Next came the more complicated wounds, the bite mark on the shoulder.

When he looked under this bandage, he tutted. "Really now, you met a nasty fellow." The wound had caused all of the veins surrounding it protrude from the skin and turn a dark purple, black color and ran up to his neck and down his arm.

The shaman took out the medicine he had just finished making that morning and directly put it on the wound and popped a white pill into Elon's mouth.

"Now be a good fellow and swallow the medicine. You should do it if you wish to live. It's your choice." The shaman watched Elon. When he saw Elon had managed to swallow the large pill he continued with his business. He hadn't expected that the wounds would have been treated previously, and by an expert hand, which made his job much easier. All that was left was cleaning the man up.

The shaman properly bathed and dressed Elon in a new set of clothes. He then gave his beard and nails a good trim, as they had gone untended in a long time.

"There you go. You look like a right human now. Just rest, you don't need to worry. You can happily wake and greet your friends in a couple days. It will only take you a week more for the worst of it to heal. Then you can get up and move around. But you will have to take it slow and take the medicine I give you," the shaman rambled on happily to the unconscious Elon, but then Elon moaned seemingly giving his agreement.

"Right-o, now I should go see your friends. I doubt that they listened to me and are waiting aguishly for news. You are a lucky brat having people like them around you. Makes me wonder what you did to deserve it."

The shaman felt some bitterness when he looked at Elon. People like him and his master had to live their entire lives secluded from other with little interaction. No chance for family or friends. Who needed the respect of the world when you had no one to even keep you company?

Yet this brat in front of him had lived a life he could only dream of. True friends by his side accompanying him every day, laughing, sparring, living. He knew that this fellow hadn't done anything, but the shaman couldn't help but feel twinges of jealousy. With a sigh to his own weaknesses the shaman left the tent to go inform the injured man's comrades of the patient's status.