Just as a reminder - Aidan and Farid have escaped from the Spirit Wolf and made it back to the yurt. Aidan heads straight for the showers; and when he returns, he fills Patrick in on their adventure. Then, he offers to help heal Farid's wounds by cooking up a potion.

*****

After Aidan leaves, Patrick goes over to Farid and inspects his wounds. He makes a face as he blows out a slow whistle. "Yeah... In this case, I have to agree with Aidan. Those cuts and scratches don't look so good."

"That's what I figured." Farid looks around for his duffle bag, but it's on the other side of the room. He starts to get up, but the more he moves, the more the scratches begin to sting. He plops back down onto the bed and points to it. "Would you mind handing me my bag?"

"Sure." Patrick swoops Farid's duffle bag up from the floor and brings it over to him.

Farid rummages around in it for a bit before pulling out a small metal thermos. He unscrews the top and just as he's about to take a sip, he sees Patrick looking at him with a deeply furrowed brow.

"You bring your own soup to missions?" Patrick asks inquisitively.

Farid lowers his thermos and loosely screws the cap back on. He assesses Patrick carefully before saying, "Do you really want to know?"

Patrick nods.

"It's blood," Farid admits. "Totally donated, by the way," he quickly adds. "It helps me heal." He cranes his neck and glances towards the opening of the tent, then turns back to Patrick. "I wanted to have some before Aidan gets back. I thought it might, I don't know, weird him out if he saw me drinking it." Farid tilts the thermos back and takes a big gulp, then wipes his lips with the back of his hand before screwing the lid back on and setting it on the floor next to his bed. "I figured you wouldn't be so queasy, being a bear-shifter and all."

Patrick stretches his arms out behind him, leaning back on the bed, and cracks a slow smile. "Well, most bears are omnivores, actually, which means the majority of my diet is plants and vegetables."

"Oh! So, you're a vegetarian?" Farid asks with a raised brow.

"Yep!" Patrick's smile widens. "But I've been known to enjoy a very fresh piece of meat on occasion--and by fresh, I mean 'fresh,' like bloody and raw."

Farid nods and laughs softly. Oddly, he'd just assumed that since Patrick was a Shifter, he definitely ate meat, at least cooked if not raw. So, hearing that he's a vegetarian really threw him for a loop. But he at least finds comfort knowing that, should they ever find themselves planning a celebratory dinner or whatever, they could happily enjoy a big bloody steak together.

Just then, Aidan comes in with a huge wad of flowers, leaves, and evergreen branches sticking out of the bucket he'd taken with him. He heads straight for the stove.

"Okay, I couldn't find everything I was lookin' for," he says, "but what I've got isn't too bad." He looks at Patrick and asks, "Did you know they have a huge garden next to the Longhouse?"

"That doesn't surprise me," Patrick replies, casting Farid a knowing glance given their most recent conversation.

"Hmm..." is all Aidan says before he dumps the contents of his bucket onto the floor and gets to work.

Grabbing a few bottles of water from the nightstand next to his bed, Aidan pours them into the bucket, then puts the bucket on the stove. "I think we got pretty lucky," he says. "I was surprised to find some freshly blooming calendula in the garden. And then there are tons of cypress trees around this camp. Now, I wasn't able to find any aloe," he apologizes to Farid, "so even though what I'm cookin' up here will definitely help with any inflammation and prevent infection, you may still end up with some scars." He tilts his head thoughtfully. "That is if Vampyrs scar."

"We do, but it depends on the kind of injuries we sustain," Farid admits.

"Oh, okay then." Aidan nods confidently. "I think you'll be all right once we get this poultice ready."

Farid and Patrick watch as Aidan begins to pick the flower heads off their stems and then plops them into the slowly heating water.

Next, he plucks the small evergreen leaves off the cypress branches and adds them to the mix.

Finally, he crouches down and opens up the stove's heavy iron door, and with a wave of his hand, whispers a spell, causing the mellow-burning fire to puff up into a bright, burning flame.

He shuts the door and picks up one of the leftover stripped branches, then begins stirring the bubbling concoction in slow, steady circles, the leaves and petals swirling in the gurgling liquid and filling the yurt with a calm, inviting scent.

Aidan, lost in thought, leans against the enormous pole that props up the center of the tent and begins to tap his foot and whistle an old Enchanted folk song his mother used to hum while she would cook and clean the house.

Patrick and Farid exchange amused glances and barely suppressed smiles, as they watch, beguiled by this unexpected domestic display.

Aidan looks up and notices them staring at him. "What?" he asks, a little confused and a bit defensive. Then after a beat, he dismisses them with a wave and turns back to his brew. "It'll be about fifteen minutes," he says over his shoulder, like a mother giving her children a stern warning before dinner. "Carry on with your conversation." He gestures. "Don't let me stop you."

Neither Patrick nor Farid have any intention of continuing on with their earlier conversation, so Farid decides to change the subject. "Do you guys think we should tell Chief Qa'watil about the demon attack?" he asks.

"Nah," Patrick says blithely. "Both Master Achebe and Headmaster Pierce said we shouldn't cause any panic. And apparently, the High Council can cast a ward around the community now that there's been a demon spotted in the area."

"Wait," Farid says. "If Enchanteds can do that, why doesn't the Council just cast wards around all of the Otherworlder communities and save us the trouble?"

"Because," Aidan leans over and checks his potion, then casts a spell to dim the flames, "wards come at a cost to those who cast them," He says. "Did you know that Headmaster Pierce is actually one of the most powerful Mages in our community? I'm guessing it's his magic that keeps the Academy safe. But unfortunately, that doesn't leave him with much power left over to do anything else. That's why you never see him casting any major spells."

"Oh, huh..." Farid contemplates this. "I never thought about the ward around the school."

"Yeah," Aidan raises a brow as he remarks, "let's just hope he can keep it up."

"Back to the task at hand," Patrick interjects, steering the conversation on to more important topics. "There's a community meeting after breakfast tomorrow. I think I should attend it, and you guys should go check out the Spirit House since we all agreed that was the most logical place to look. I'll tell the Chief that you two have some important business to discuss with Headmaster Pierce and that's why you can't attend. And then, just as an added precaution, I'll ask the Chief and Minuk for a private chat after the meeting."

"What are you going to talk to them about?" Farid asks.

Patrick shakes his head and spreads his hands in a shrug. "I have no idea. But Shifter elders just looove to dole out advice. I'm sure I can get them talking for quite some time."

*****

Back at the Academy, Fiona is at the archery range that lies at the edge of the campus, trying to teach herself how to shoot with a bow and arrow.

Ava is on her daily run, jogging around the track that surrounds the range.

She can't help herself, but she keeps looking over at Fiona, noticing that her technique is terribly undisciplined and painfully off. Finally, after her third time around the track, she jogs over and, wiping the sweat from her brow, stops a cautious distance away. She waits until Fiona gets off a shot before she decides to approach her.

"Hey..." Ava says, making sure that her voice is calm and friendly.

Fiona looks back over her shoulder. "Hey..." she replies with little enthusiasm as she lowers her bow.

Ava takes a step closer and looks down at the mass of arrows littering the ground between Fiona and her target. Not one of them has hit the mark.

"Uh... so, how's it going?" She inquires cautiously.

Fiona's lips dip into a grimace as she sighs. "Not great," she admits. Then, she turns back to the target and stares at if for a moment before shutting her eye and lining the bow up for another shot. "But, I'll figure it out," she murmurs defiantly.

"Hmm... you know," Ava leans in to make a suggestion, "I think if you level your arm just a bit, you'll get a much cleaner shot. I'd be more than happy to show you a few tips if you'd like?" she offers helpfully.

Fiona's grimace turns into an exasperated frown as she pulls her arm back, stretching the bow string tight and utters a simple, "Nope. Like I said, I'll figure it out."

"Oh, okay, sure," Ava responds politely, holding her hands up and taking a step back to give Fiona plenty of room to shoot.

And then, she watches as the arrow misses the target by a mile.

Unconsciously, she hisses through her teeth as she tries not to outright cringe.

Fiona's shoulders slump. Irritated, but now mildly intrigued by Ava's offer, she says over her shoulder, "So, I take it you've trained with a bow and arrow before?"

"Yes, I have!" Ava smiles broadly as she takes a few steps closer. "Actually, I used to do it competitively. I was one of the top archers in our region."

With her back still to Ava, Fiona slowly rolls her eyes. "Of course you were," she drawls under her breath, but she manages to slap on a tight smile before turning around to face her.

"What was that? What did you say?" Ava asks innocently.

"Nothing," Fiona grumbles, then she clears her throat. "I didn't realize you'd worked with a bow and arrow before, or any weapon for that matter. What made you stop?"

"Oh, my father was shot by a human hunter with one," Ava says quietly. She pauses and then adds, "Well, he was shot with a crossbow actually."

Horrified, Fiona's eyes widen in shock.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Ava says in solidarity. "You see, my family are Avian Shifters and there are a lot of human hunters in our area for some reason. And these guys would use crossbows instead of guns to hunt for sport."

Fiona quietly gasps. And now feeling like a total shit for being so standoffish before, she frowns and says soberly, "I'm sorry to hear that." Then, she mutters, "Cowards."

"I thought so too," Ava admits as she puts on a brave face. "But it's okay. I mean," she shrugs, "he was seriously hurt and shifting became too painful for him, so he had to stop. And he spends most of his time in a wheelchair, but at least he survived."

Fiona opens her mouth, then closes it again. She has no clue how to react to that or even what to say. All she can think of to do is give Ava a weak but sympathetic smile and offer, "Yeah, it's good he survived."

Ugh! That didn't sound right. Internally, Fiona winces as an uncomfortable silence passes between them.

Ava finally breaks it with a sigh. "Anyway..." she says, after that, I couldn't really enjoy the sport anymore." She shrugs again. "So, I gave it up."

"That's understandable," Fiona says solemnly.

Not knowing what else to do, Fiona turns back to the target, but she doesn't raise her bow to take aim. She just stares at it, deep in thought.

Ava, determined to lighten the mood adds, "I must admit, I definitely miss it." She eyes Fiona's bow wistfully. "And given what we're dealing with these days, I'd been thinking about taking it up again."

The only reaction she gets from Fiona is a cursory nod.

"Anyway..." Feeling awkward, Ava clasps her hands behind her back and rolls back on her heels. "I was running around the track earlier, and I noticed that your elbow was dipping a bit too low when you were shooting. But if you just raise it a smidge..." Ava reaches out and tips Fiona's elbow up a half an inch, "...you're aim will be much better."

Reluctantly, Fiona raises her elbow up to the level Ava's suggested and aims for the target. With one eye closed, she lets the arrow loose and it hits the target, with a satisfying thwap, only missing the bullseye by a quarter of an inch.

She can't help but smile. Looking over her shoulder at Ava, she utters a quiet, "Thanks."

"No problem!" Ava blurts, hoping that they'd just made a genuine connection. "If you want, maybe we could train together? We could meet during the break between history and combat class!"

Fiona's eyes narrow as she takes a long, hard look at Ava, trying her best not to make the obvious comparisons between them.

Why does she have to be so nice? And pretty? And talented?

Grrr... Fiona grumbles internally. No wonder Farid is falling for her.

Damn it!

"So, what do you say?" Ava looks at Fiona hopefully, her smile so luminescent, it sparkles. Clearly, she wants them to be besties.

Grrr... Fiona's eyes narrow even further. Yeah... that's so not gonna happen.

She simply shrugs and says, half-heartedly, "Sure, maybe..."

Then, she turns and focuses her attention on the target again, unable to bear the hurt expression on Ava's face.

Under different circumstances, it's not as if she wouldn't like Ava and they could never be friends.

But between Ava being the first Shifter she's ever spent more than five minutes talking to, and the very keen interest she's sparked in Farid, the chances of them becoming friends are beyond remote.

So, she clears her throat and stiffens her back, making it clear she'd rather be alone.

Ava nods, finally getting the hint. She starts to back away. "Okay, well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Fiona nods, barely acknowledging her; and defeated, Ava turns and heads back to her dorm.

Not entirely pleased with herself and her admittedly childish behavior, Fiona pushes the feeling away and raises her bow, staring intensely at the target.

She holds her arm up just like Ava showed her, and letting the arrow loose with a newfound confidence and ease, watches as it slices through the air and hits the target with a glorious thunk, hitting the bullseye dead center.

Fiona's face lights up as she squeals with joy. "Yes!"

She turns around to give Ava props for her sage advice, but her smile falters as she sees that Ava's already made it to the far end of the field, well on her way back to her room.

**********

Ava and Fiona... Hmm... Female friendships can be really, really tricky. Can you even see the hint of a friendship between them?

~ P.  ❤️