AS UNICORN AS IT GETS

One day, she met a young boy who had a talent for alchemy. They became friends even though he was only a human. She guided him in his alchemy and taught him to make medicine to cure his sick bedridden mother. But he grew up and betrayed her... No, she could not believe he would betray her willingly. He had always been idealistic and naïve. And also a little weak (but he was only human). He was probably tricked or coerced. Why was she always drawn in by the bright eyed naive young ones?

She was left for dead, bleeding by the riverbank until she was taken in by the river tide.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, very powerful healers did not die easily, and even though she did die, she did not stay dead. She didn't know how long or how many times she drowned, but one cold autumn morning, a young boy pulled her out of the water.

"Is she dead?" A second boy came over, "Hooboy, she's not one of ours, is she?"

"King..." A third boy popped out nervously from behind the second boy, "You probably should dry off..."

"Don't worry!" The boy named King boasted, "I'm the Alpha. A bit of wet and cold won't kill me."

"It definitely killed her." The second boy said. He came closer to check.

"Don't touch her, Luc!" The third boy was alarmed, "It's not hygienic."

"She's alive!" King yelled when she opened her eyes to look.

Just three pups. Huh. Oh, and a big white cat. They screamed and ran for their lives. She would have thought she'd never see them again.

A few years later, a teenage Young Alpha King chanced upon her again. No, the math didn't add up, but she had been surviving in her wolf form in the woods and had almost forgotten how to speak, much less count the moons and seasons. He brought her back to his pack and introduced her to his father... Who strangely looked young enough to be his twin, but who was she to judge?

She was accepted into their pack and her shamefully rogue scent was washed away. They had a cottage built in the woods for her, and had their pack sponsor her livelihood and medicinal work.

Her ex-favourite disciple was too ambitious and driven by pragmatism. Under his genius medical breakthroughs was always the calculated cost in dollar signs and KPIs. Her ex blade wolf lover was too wildly idealistic. What made him think that running around as the wind blew would lead him to anywhere good (or feed their family)? Her human friend was too naive and weak to protect his ideals. She was a fool to trust his friendship.

The Young Alpha King was only just shifted, but he was a good wolf with a wise head. The first temperate and shrewd young alpha Wanda had met in her very long life, but he was at first glance bright eyed and idealistic too so she was quite wary of him.

In time, Wanda found herself impressed, not just for his daring ideals, but his steadfastness and strength to pull it together. It was obvious from the start when Young Alpha King negotiated an agreement between her and Night Forest. It quite surprised her. She had thought he was a youth with big dreams and talk but the kind of agreement and negotiation the Young Alpha brought to the table was unexpectedly mature in a down to earth, moderate, and practical way. 

It wasn't that Wanda didn't want to join a pack. She had come to recognize that she needed the shelter of a strong pack, and she hated smelling rogue, or living in the cold as an animal without the comfort of hot tea.

There was just one thing, the price of her heal was lifespan. For every heal, a little bit of lycan life must be paid. Life for life. Technically, she did owe Young Alpha King her life, so if he wanted her to use the rest of her life to heal his pack, she would, but of course she would rather pay with someone else's life.

A small heal for a sprained ankle, would cost a few days. A large one would cost years. For Wanda, it wasn't just her own life, she could exchange anybody's life for the heal, it didn't matter who had to be sacrificed.

"That's dangerous." Young Alpha King decided, "Not only would it repeatedly sacrifice you, it would potentially expose vulnerable wolves to exploitation."

So she was to tell everyone that the cost of her heal was the lifespan of the patient. She was not allowed to sacrifice the lifespan of herself or another wolf - as long as she kept this rule, the Young Alpha was quite sure he could protect her.

"Your Alpha Father would know I'm lying." She worried.

Young Alpha King shook his head. He was confident, "You're not lying. That's YOUR cost for YOUR heal. You should have the right to decide how much your heal cost."

So the cost of her heal was set at whatever lifespan was required to heal. This was taken from the patient and was non transferable. On top of that, there was a modest $50/hour of her time, and a monthly wage and annual budget for supplies.

"Why are you helping me so much?" She asked the young alpha. How many alphas in his position would have simply locked her up as a healing slave?

"It is an advantageous arrangement for me too." He answered flippitantly.

"But you didn't have to go this far." She pointed out. She hated owing favors because she always repaid them.

"I had read once, to never withhold good from someone if it is in your hand to give it." Alpha King said.

"How naïve." Wanda muttered.

"I'm idealistic, not naive." He corrected.

And suddenly Wanda realized that they were truly two seperate things.

"I have to go." Alpha King told her, "I'll see you after the war."

"What?" Wanda asked. The Great War had been very great and long. Who knew when it would end?

But a few years later, she helped the Night Forest at the birth of her first child. A boy pup who would grow up to become Young Alpha King. She was surprised too, but she was also wise enough to not ask any questions.

This was how she had lived the remainder of her life... quietly in her cottage deep in the woods, undisturbed by the hubdrum of the world. It got particularly quiet after the war, and Wanda had time to research and even meet other wolves and sell her medicines and charms.

The rebels have been causing trouble after Alpha Silas' passing. Wanda hadn't cared much of their little uprising until they found her cottage. She would heal them because they would bring the standard payment as stipulated by the pack rules.

Alpha Louis was furious and had her living quarters moved twice, but the rebels still found her.

"Why?" Alpha Louis snarled accusingly, "It's almost like you want to heal them!"

Wanda shrugged. There was a part of her that believed that if the Young Alpha King had stayed, none of this would be happening, but she was not one to fight politics and she knew what not to say to an enraged alpha.

Instead, she said, "They told me they would kill me if I refused. So of course, I took the money and healed them. Wouldn't it be worse if I died by their hands?"

Alpha Louis assigned his top warriors to guard her, but because they often failed to stop the kidnapping, they would also have to hunt down the rebel group who took her and bring her back. The rebel groups were a little rough, but they were still respectful and polite - they even paid her according to her stipulated hourly wage. Once healed they would leave her with the money, sometimes a small fire and a bit of bread or whatever food or drink they had on hand. Most of them were properly grateful for the saving grace received.

Then they would escape into the woods and she would spend the rest of the night waiting for Alpha Louis' warriors to arrive. She had never been truly hurt in any of the kidnappings. Until now.

Wanda remembered now why she disliked dealing with Tygers. She would never had thought she'd meet one in the plains, or that he would be even more terrifying than King Ignatius and his three agents. Curse those Tygers!