The following morning...
...the sun was coming over the horizon by the outskirts of the village. Steadily approaching the village were that of Sheila and the cloaked woman whom she had left with before.
"I'm sorry there isn't more we can do to help," the masked woman stated, "...yet thankfully there is always more light at the end of the tunnel for your people. It doesn't end here."
As usual, any defining traits of this woman were well hidden by her robes and concealing adornments, which led to Sheila stopping in her tracks upon hearing those words. Shifting her eyes slightly, Sheila soon turned to face the concealed woman.
"How... do you know that?" Sheila asked. "Are you one of us?"
The cloaked woman paid no answer, and although she had stopped alongside Sheila, she continued on forward.
"If that's the case, then you know very well that it's not so simple!" Sheila exclaimed, irritable, yet softly by the case and declaration. "We still lose everything that we are..." she pouted.
"And yet you saunter," the woman replied, never missing a step.
Though Sheila was torn about everything happening, she couldn't argue with that fact. She was too tired to do so, and soon carried on in her steps, weighing down her head.
"Are you afraid of what comes next?" the woman asked.
This time, it was Sheila who didn't answer, as she merely let off a pouting hum.
"It figures."
The concealed woman may seem cold, or perhaps it was the mystery of identity that made her sound more careless than her spoken words. Either way, Sheila was never the type of person to stir up a fuss.
"Do you remember everything that we told you about your condition?" the woman asked.
Though she wasn't looking in Sheila's direction—who was treading slowly behind her—Sheila nodded, and the robed woman could feel it.
"Everyone involved has to take the medicine we've given you. It's not a cure, but you should be able to live comfortably while it lasts. We'll make sure to deliver another shipment as soon as we can gather the necessary resources. Unfortunately, the materials aren't so easy to come by, even for us."
"I understand," Sheila replied.
With that, the two women continued to their destination, and Sheila turned her head at her surroundings with an expression of melancholy. Somehow, though she was there, she already felt like she missed her present home.
On the opposite side of the village, Sem and the others were slowly making way from theforest.
Variann was an exhausted wreck, being guided on the shoulders of Kenrir and Sem, with Ulva trailing closely by Sem's side. The sudden shock on her senses, by something unknown coursing through her, was taking a toll on her body leaving her overstimulated and weak. A cough forced its way out, and once again her very body had a wave of vibrations as blood trickled down her lips. Sem and the others instinctively came to a stop.
Sem had a knot of worry in his throat, and Kenrir's unpronounced concern for Variann had them both turn their glances over to her. Variann shook, as labored breaths weighed over her. Soon, she opened her heavy eyes.
"I'm... fine..." she muttered weakly, trying to encourage the others to keep moving.
Kenrir's subtly winced at the quiet murmur. The pain he was feeling for his companion's condition was deeper than he could portray.
"I hope that friend of yours was able to catch up to them," he spoke softly, "Her condition only seems to be getting worse."
"Whatever this is, it seems to be targeting everything," Sem noticed, "And I don't doubt that Malin has reached them by now. You won't find many others faster than he is."
"Do you think they'll be able to help her?" Ulva asked from the side. She was concerned for everyone, but felt the weight on Variann's condition most of all.
"If they can't—" Kenrir's voice paused, as he looked for words that were comparable to what he really felt, but there was nothing. "We have to keep moving."
As Kenrir took a step, Sem soon followed, and Ulva clenched her fist as her gaze shifted in an obscured dismay. The group continued forward, and as before there was nothing in their stretch of forest, not even a bird.
Within the village itself, Malin and an unfamiliar individual wearing the same robes and adornments as those who arrived with Cheiro and left with Sheila, were now headed in the direction of Sem's group.
"Thank you for agreeing to come back with me," Malin said to the masked figure, "We couldn't begin to think what we would do without the help of your people at our side."
"But of course," the male voice answered back, "The Tanzha tribe is happy to help the likeness of our feline brethren with all your medical needs."
The voice of this masked figure was deep and soft-spoken, bearing a rhythm of sincerety.
"Honestly, I had imagined I arrived too late. I suppose it was sheer convenience you still had business in the area," Malin spoke in wandering relief.
"Convenience, yes. Though business is business, and so short without our partners."
Malin found the speech patterns of this individual odd, but with the emergent matter on hand, pushed on without much of a mind.
"They should be arriving just ahead. If you could please, attend to the heavily fitted woman first," Malin requested, addressing Variann's dense selection of clothing. "Her senses are a bit... transcendent," he selectively described, "And I worry this may be a contributing factor to her condition's effects."
"A being with heightened senses? A rather rare trait it should seem, even among your people," the pause between this statement and the next was so subtle, far too few would ever register it, "Fear not, for the Tanzha are more than capable in taking subtly measures."
Malin walked alongside the stranger, one whose people had been assisting within the village for quite some time. He hadn't taken his eyes off of him for a second as he watched from the corners from the moment the masked figure showed a curious interest. Glancing ahead, Malin and the masked figure carried on, soon approaching the temple property gateway.
As they passed by, Cheiro could be seen steadily heading towards the exit. Upon seeing the two pass the border gate momentarily, she paused, as she could hear their discussion clear as day. She soon approached the border, passing the border gate, as she stopped just outside and looked off to her left to see the two hurriedly heading towards the forest. She stood watching for but a moment, as she pondered as to what must have occurred.
Many of the students had been roaming the temple property, as each of them was getting ready from their new day of training. Coming out of the dormitory building, Ania and Yonka had made their appearance. As they were setting out to fill in at the dojo for Kenrir, the two of them soon spotted Cheiro staring off into the sidelines. Once they did, they looked to one another in curiosity, then swiftly approached her.
"Lady Cheiro! Is everything alright?" Ania asked her.
That is when Yonka noticed what had caught Cheiro's eye.
"Hey, isn't that Malin and one of the medical delivery people?" she asked.
Ania too noticed this upon Yonka grasping her attention.
"Oh you're right! But what is Malin doing back so soon, and with one of the Tanzha? Did something happen?" Ania asked.
Cheiro gave no word on the subject, though she too was curious. However, she soon turned her attention to the two young women in front of her.
"My apologies, but I should be returning to my place in the village. I have a very special patient who's been waiting for me there for some time, and I've finished my errands here. Will the two of you be alright on your own?" Cheiro asked. She immediately caught their attention.
"Oh, yes! We'll be fine," Ania assured her.
"You can leave everything to us!" Yonka added, raising his hand with two fingers in a sort of salute.
Cheiro smiled at the two softly and gave a subtle bow, and she soon turned off to make her way back towards the village. "Take care now."
"—We will!" the two of them stated simultaneously.
It wouldn't be long before the two small groups joined together beyond the village. A couple miles outside the boundary, Malin and the cloaked figure could soon see Sem's group steadily approaching. Once the masked man spotted the woman whose body was all but limp, he darted ahead, as Sem and Kenrir had now been using more of their own strength to carry Variann towards the village.
Ulva's large paw clenched over her chest. Not only was she deeply troubled for Variann, but she too began to notice an unfamiliar sensation tightening in her chest. She could still taste the iron of her blood.
"Finally," Sem muttered under his breath, seeing the robed figure approaching them.
Upon being approached, Sem and Kenrir stopped in their tracks, allowing for the individual to run over a quick inspection. The figure brought the back of his gloved hand to Variann's head, testing her temperature as he then cupped his palms over her cheeks, raising her head to get a better look.
"This woman's going to need immediate treatment. Do we have anywhere we can run a proper diagnosis?" he asked.
"We can move her to my private quarters. There's a private entrance in the back," Kenrir stated.
"So, to the dojo?" the man inquired, already shifting himself around to lift Variann onto his back.
Seeing what the masked figure was doing, both Kenrir and Sem allowed it, as they removed themselves allowing for all of Vari's weight to be leveraged by the individual.
"Is she going to be alright?" Ulva asked as she lowered her paw to her side.
The figure looked over to the tall, husky woman beside them, but gave a pause of silence.
"Let's be quick," he stated, as he dashed ahead while the rest of the group picked up hurriedly behind him.
Upon arrival, the group entered the dojo using the training hall's back wall, as Kenrir had guided the Tanzha around the back to avoid bringing alarm to roaming students. When the wall opened, the Tanzha was the first to enter, carrying Variann on his back as Kenrir soon led the way to his quarters. They have arrived, and Kenrir had made sure to close the sliding panel behind them.
"The bed," Kenrir addressed without question.
Variann was then placed on the bed, as her exhausted body trembled once again. Her eyes had been sealed from the moment Malin and the Tanzha found her in the forest, and she was sweating profusely. As her body trembled, her face had tensed, reacting still to the complex waves coursing through her.
As the Tanzha got to work, Sem stood by the door. He soon turned to face Malin and Ulva who were standing close by.
"Keep an eye on Vari. I have to find Sheila and check on her condition. Once I do, I'll bring her here so we can discuss what to do next."
Both Ulva and Malin nodded to Sem, confirming their understanding.
As they did, Sem slid open the door panel and made his exit.
To his surprise, upon stepping out into the dojo's main doorway, Ania and Yonka had stopped before him.
"Sem!" Yonka exclaimed in surprise.
"You're back!" Ania stated in equal surprise.
The two girls hadn't expected Sem's return so soon, but considering the fact they recently saw Malin storming hurriedly by with one of the Tanzha, they were sure now that something must have gone wrong.
"Why are you back so soon?"
"What happened?" they asked.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Look, something is going on with the troop, but I can't really explain it right now," Sem stated, "Have you two seen Sheila? It's important that I speak with her."
The twins turned to glance at one another, as they knew now that matters must have been far worse than they imagined. Turning their gazes back to Sem, they answered.
"Sheila left a couple days ago with one of the Tanzha people," Ania explained.
"She seems to have fallen ill with something, but we don't know how or why," Yonka added.
"Is the something really that bad?" Ania asked to confirm.
"Where's Alena? Is she alright?" Sem asked hurriedly.
The two girls jolted back in shock by Sem's pressing reaction, as each of them felt themselves stiffen up in an immediate tension.
"She's just getting ready for class with her new friends," Yonka answered.
"There's nothing wrong with her that we've seen," Ania added.
"Right, she's perfectly healthy. Nothing has happened," Yonka agreed.
"Sem, what's going on?" As she asked this, Ania had inched herself closer, thoroughly expressing her growing concern.
Sem's breath hitched, and his teeth clenched, as he soon stepped abruptly closer.
"Look, we have to keep this area clear for now. Take the students to the training grounds for today's lessons, and don't let anyone near the dojo until we get things figured out," he declared.
"...but Sem—" Ania began to reinquire.
"Not right now!" Sem interrupted, "Please just keep everyone a safe distance from the dojo for now. I'll fill you in once we have a better understanding of the situation, but right now, I need to speak to Sheila."
The twin's expressions softened into a saddened worry, as they understood the weight of Sem's expressed alarm, and what needed to be done.
"We understand," Yonka stated, "We'll make sure to keep everyone out of the dojo until you get back—but what are you going to do?"
"Just wait for my return, and keep an eye on Alena. This matter is important."
With that, Sem made his way around the twins, and they watched him as he hurriedly made his way to the exit.