05: Vitality

It's been a week and some change since I landed in this world. They don't have a name for it, unlike earth, so I have taken to calling it Elysium in my head.

The elders of the village (who are responsible for passing down knowledge, history, and culture) have told me that this town is called Hilraine, home of the Direwolves. The Direwolves here are fairly self sufficient, they hunt and gather for food and sell the excess to nearby villages. The wolves are trained from a young age in hunting techniques to take down large prey without damaging the pelts, those pelts are then sold during trade. They told me that the nearby towns they trade with are called Lashwood and Waterly.

Waterly, like it's name suggests is located along a Great Lake. It is home to the War-Bears. They have a talent for crafting and inventing and are unmatched in skills. They do metalworking and create architectural feats. Despite their name, they are a very calm and easy-going bunch, they do not fight unless they have to. But when they do fight, they live up to the name.

Lashwood is where the Feline races live. They have an eye for detail and specialize in crafting clothes, fine goods, and art. According to the Elders, they are not an especially friendly bunch, but are not hostile either. The village of Lashwood is actually located up in the trees, and as Direwolves do not climb like the Felines, they have not actually seen the village.

These 3 villages each have a trading caravan that makes a trip once a month to the other villages. I discovered that the bed Marshall has was actually carved by the Felines. The longhouse that sits in the center of Hilraine is like a community building. It was commissioned by the Direwolves and the war-bears came and built it. The long house is 2 stories tall; the top floor is storage and the bottom floor is a cafeteria and some general use rooms, as well as the doctors office. The Direwolves are a very close bunch and so they share all resources. Twice a day there is a large meal prepared in the long house and everyone arrives to eat together.

The Direwolves' hierarchy is very interesting. They have the leaders/alphas; which are a couple chosen by the pack to represent the town politically and negotiate on everyone's behalf. They have Elders; once the wolves are too old to continue working or are injured and unable to work, they become an Elder. Elders are responsible for teaching the young, managing operations, and other miscellaneous tasks that don't include physical labor. they report to the High Elder who is chosen by the Leaders to represent the group. They have Hunters, quite obvious what they do. They don't have a special title for the one in charge of the hunters, they are a pretty autonomous group.

The group that maintains the safety of the town and patrols the borders are the Warriors. The most accomplished warrior is chosen from within this group to report to the leaders on a daily basis, they are referred to as the Commander. Marshall is part of the Warriors. He was out assisting the Hunters when he came across me. And finally, they have the Traders. The Traders are chosen by the Elders based on their cunning, quick thinking, and way with words.

Lillian, the Elder who spends time with me every day and tells me all this, was sitting across from me drinking her tea.

"Are you sure none of this sounds familiar to you?" She asked gently

"Honestly, I feel like I know nothing. Aside from memories of my family I seem to remember nothing." I decided to go with the old, 'lost my memory' bit so that I wouldn't raise suspicion. Lillian has been very kind and sympathetic towards me, she is like the mother I never had.

"That must be very frustrating. And how is your health coming along? I hear you and Marshall are training every day."

"Yeah he has been a big help with regaining my strength! I am able to walk from Marshall's to the long house before I feel tired now."

"That is wonderful! How are things with you and him?"

"Better." I replied simply. She didn't need to know the details of how I was training Marshall to mind his manners… and hands.

"I'm glad. He can be a bit… simple… but he has a big heart."

'Among other things…' I thought quietly to myself, thinking of the first day we woke up together.

"I should get going now, it was nice chatting with you Mika." Lillian said as she stood up from the floor pillow she was sitting on and headed towards the door of Marshall's hut. I got up as well to see her off. She paused half way though the door and added, "By the way, Doctor Harris wants to see you. He told me to tell you to go see him before supper."

"Thanks, I will." I replied. Harris is Marshall's uncle and he is married to Lillian. He checks in on me from time to time and checks my strength, reflexes, and sensory responses. He tells me that once my Vitality, the power of my soul, is restored that my beast will emerge. He says that it is hard to pinpoint what beast I might be due to my unique appearance.

My hair has continued to grow out and is staying a fiery red color, which is a pleasant surprise since I had natural brown hair on earth. I started dyeing it red back in high school and have kept it that way since. Maybe Viking Sensei adapted this new body to my preferences. My appearance doesn't seem to have changed much, however I think I am more attractive now than I was on earth. My features look the same, but something is different.

I tidied up and started heading towards the long house to see the doctor. Once my strength fully returns they are going to be baffled. I doubt that I will magically grow an ears and tail like them, I mean, I'm not a real demi-human. I wonder if I should tell Marshall ahead of time, or if I should play dumb and hope they don't kick me out.

He does seem to really like me. His tails wags non stop when we go on walks together, and he insists on sleeping next to me every night (in his wolf form of course). His whole family has been so kind and treated me like one of their own, even though some of the townspeople clearly dislike me.

Since I found myself here, Marshall has always been by my side. He is very sweet, thoughtful.. a little dense at times… but he has all the qualities of the perfect man. It's no wonder that the girls in the town drool when they see him. Kara in particular is very persistent. She definitely has her sights set on Marshall. When we walk together to the long house for dinner she is always waiting for him. She has long blonde hair, a big chest, and stomach that is just muscular enough to still be very feminine. She is taller than me but has legs for days. If I was a man, I would be after her for sure. She never greets me, she never even acknowledges my presence, a couple times she has managed to grab hold of Marshall and swoop him away. At first, it didn't really bother me since I never planned on staying here.

I entered the long house and headed for the rooms in the back where the doctor saw his patients. I knocked on the door and called out, "Doctor Harris?"

"Mika? Is that you? Come in, dear!" He answered from somewhere inside. There was the shuffling of papers and scooting sounds of wooden chairs. I opened the door and walked in, he came out from the back and gestured at the wooden table along the wall. As usual I sat on the table with my legs dangling off the side and prepared for the onslaught of questions and tests.

"How are you, Dr. H? Busy?" I asked

"Oh, yes and no. I have my paws in many different pots at the moment, just need to focus on one thing at a time. Open your mouth please." He said as he walked up to me with his wooden tongue depressor.

I opened my mouth obediently as he looked around at my teeth. We made idle conversation as he went on to do a physical exam of my spine, legs, and reflexes. He then moved on to his hearing tests where he made sounds of different volumes and octaves to see what I was able to perceive.

"Everything appears very… normal. Nothing has changed since we last tested. Quite peculiar indeed." He murmured as she jotted something down on paper.

"I feel like my strength and stamina are improving! Oh and I think my hearing is a little better?" I said, hopefully.

He turned around and took a good look at me. My legs, which had no muscle on them when I arrived, started to fill out. My hair had grown from it's messy short style to shoulder length. All in all, I definitely looked healthier.

"There is another test I have been wanting to try with you. It's to check your Vitality and see how it's improving. We haven't used recovery water since your first day here since you have been making steady progress… but other than physical strength you seem to have hit a plateau." He said as he set down his book and looked at me seriously.

"Oh, um.." I gulped in nervousness. I really hadn't thought of what I would do when they find out I'm not a Demi-human. what if my vitality is restored and I still show no transformation. they will definitely be suspicious.

Harris saw my reaction and added, "It's nothing to worry about. It will not hurt at all, and it does not take long either." He went over to his messy desk and started shuffling through the mass of stuff he has piled there. "Meet me tonight when the moon rises at the Stonehenge."

The place they hold festivals? Why would he want to meet me there? My face must have portrayed my thoughts since he added, "It's a place of spiritual power. It's the best place to perform the test. I will see you tonight." He said matter of factly.

That was my cue to leave. I was just coming out from under the stairs (where the Dr office is) when I heard some people talking. I don't normally eavesdrop but I heard Marshall's name. I paused and listened closely.