Chapter 10: Growing concern

With a huff Tahliz slashed his sword down on the practice manikin, his sword hitting the beaten equipment with a thunk. He imagined the manikin to be a foe, threatening the tribe, gaining him the motivation to finally slash a cut from the shoulder to the hip. His arms aching slightly from the multiple attacks. "Sloppy" Captin Glacies sounded from behind him, startling Tahliz for a moment, sheathing his long sword. "And a warrior should always be aware of their surroundings" Captin Glacies narrowed his eyes, a dissaprovel scowl forming.

"I was just trying to sharpen my skills" Tahliz tried, feeling a little defeated with Captin Glacies critics.

"Well, take this for advice, you're too narrow, I could see every move you were about to do because your eyes are pinned to where you're about to strike" he offered, though his tone was far harsher than his son's. "Always look your opponent in the eye and observe your enemies weak points without getting distracted yourself. You need to think simultaneously until you can multi task without having to think, understand?" Captin Glacies schooled, though half of it sounded like nonsense to Tahliz.

"Maybe, make it second natural, basically?" Tahliz guessed again, looking at the slash he did, it was in no way a clean cut but it still made it through! Wasn't that enough?

"That's a simple way of putting it, but aren't you supposed to be resting for a patrol tonight? Shouldn't you be prioritising that?" Captin Glacies gave yet another disapproving scowl. "I can never please this guy" Tahliz complained but shook that thought off, he did have a point after all.

"I still have a good few hours, though trianing would be a productive way to pass time" Tahliz pointed out, Captin Glacies just shrugged and began to walk out of the arena.

"Just take this patrol seriously, it'll just be you and my son, which is a small patrol but still.

Keep an eye out for bandits, I just got a report of more bandit activity, so keep look out" he ordered, walking back into the great hall. Tahliz just sighed and took the side door into the barracks, it was empty and far quieter than anywhere else in camp.

Flopping himself on his own bed, he pulled out his jernal from the chest he had for his own belongings. He read through the last few lines that he had written down about hunting tactics and how his bow training had gone far better than he expected. With a deep sigh he began to write down whatever feelings he had gotten when Ventus had ordered him. He wrote all about how his stomach felt like it twisted and fluttered, how his heart raced and how he felt his cheeks flush.

"Great, I sound like a teen age girl fluttering about her damm crush" Tahliz thought somewhat bitterly, slamming the book shut and putting it back in his chest. He sighed deeply as he layed back, thinking over his feelings again and again. "It's not like I like him, he's a guy! I'm a guy!" He paused, frowning in thought as he tried to remember something. "Has there been couples with both guys?- what am I thinking!? I just respect him, I don't respect many people, that's just it!" He argued over his thoughts. Though a voice in his mind whispered about how he never felt this say when respecting the cheif.

Tahliz was snapped out of his thoughts when the door was flung open and a warrior came stumbling in, in the middle of a coughing fit. "Whoh, what's up with you?" Tahliz sat up, looking at the warrior who stumbled his way to the armoury.

"Ugh, throat's on fire" his voice was scratchy and his face was flushed, he looked disoriented and sickly. "First Lux, now him? Don't tell me a sickness is making its way through the camp" Tahliz thought, taking his boots off and laying back in his bed. Not a moment later the warrior came back into the barracks, in his own clothes and crawling into his bed across the room.

"What are you doing here? There's a lot of work to do" the warrior's voice was hard to hear, both with how horse it was but also just to imagine how a throat that sore would feel.

"I'm on night patrol" Tahliz answered, looking over.

"Oh" the warrior mumbled and pulled the polar bear pelt over himself, trying to get warm as he shivered.

"Have you seen a healer? Want me to go get one?" Tahliz offered, looking over at him sympathetically.

"No, already went, they said I should take a few days off" he mumbled again, unable to speak any louder.

"Get well soon then" Tahliz nodded then layed back, he had hours until his patrol, a nap sounds like a good idea right now. Despite being in his armour, Tahliz found a peaceful sleep to drift into. He rested in this drift until he felt a sudden punch crash into his ribs, causing him to groan in pain as he shot up to see who his attacker is. "Good job getting a patrol before me" Qahnaar gave a smug smile, Tahliz knew she wasn't too petty about this, not with a smile like that.

"Didn't have to punch me" Tahliz complained, rubbing his ribs and fixing his armour to cover his ribs again.

"It was tempting, why sleep in armour?" She gave a judgmental tone but then shook her head. "It's almost sunset, Ventus wants you to get ready" Qahnaar reported, then got up and began to walk out, Tahliz setting his boots back on to follow. "So whilst you're out on a beautiful night patrol, I'll be stuck on guard" she added, holding onto her helmet.

"Guard duty? We haven't had that yet, huh?" Tahliz commented, realising that she'll get to have her first guard duty whilst he gets his first patrol.

"Yep, so I'll be seeing you when you come back" she stretched then jogged her way over to the gate, Agiles waiting for her.

Tahliz made his way over to the grate hall, it was noticeably, far less crowded and Tahliz felt like he could actually breathe in the hall. At the end of the hall, however was the Cheif, the Captin, Ventus and young Lux. Lux was cradled in his father's arms, looking worser than he did earlier that morning. The young boy looked to be deep in a fever, his family sat around him trying to ease the illness for him but to no avail.

Tahliz slowly approached, "he's no better?" Captin Glacies asked, looking at Lux with an expression glazed with concern.

"No, the healers has tried everything, his fever is worse" Cheif Nix spoke, his tone full of worry and concern for his son who barly looked awake in his arm. Ventus gently used a dampened towel to wash the cold sweat off of his cousins forehead.

"Whilst I'm out on patrol, want me to look for ginger root? Maybe it could help" Ventus asked, putting the towel back in the bucket of warm watter next to the fireplace.

"Make it into a tea?" Lux asked, his voice also horse and scratchy. Tahliz stayed back, waiting patiently to leave the family to comfort their young one.

"Yes, Lux, I'll even add honey for you" Ventus spoke softly, smiling to try and lift Lux's spirits.

"Thank you" Lux began but soon fell into a coughing fit. "Like the warrior from earlier" Tahliz realised, "so there is a sickness running through the tribe, not a good one either".

"Oh, you're early" Ventus got up, walking towards Tahliz as he sat on one of the tables.

"Yeah, I didn't want to interrupt" Tahliz smiled awkwardly, looking over at Lux again.

"It's fine, we'll be off then, bye dad, Uncle Nix, Lux" Ventus waved goodbye then began to head out, Tahliz following him swiftly. They walked in silence as they made their way out of camp, passing Qahnaar who stood on watch.

"What happened with young Lux?" Tahliz asked, keeping his tone soft.

"He got sick after the blizzard, didn't get better and recently it had developed into a fever" Ventus spoke, a heavy tone of worry in his voice.

"So not only are we looking for bandits, we're also looking for ginger for Lux?" Tahliz asked, gaining a nod in response.

"Exactly, I hope it'll let him pull through" Ventus sighed deeply then soon put on his usual smile as he pushed through. "I hope so to" Tahliz thought, following him into the forest.