He lets me touch him, and I think to myself that the touch feels strange. Unreciprocated, perhaps reluctant. But again - am I reading too much into his responses? I'm so sensitive myself right now, emotional, overwhelmed. Dalibor left me in an emotional heap of addled brains, so perhaps I'm reading the situation all wrong. Or perhaps this stallion just doesn't really appreciate being touched like that. I may be invading his personal space - did I even think of that? Of course I didn't. But I do feel tension leave the air, and think that maybe he's letting me in, just a little bit. I step back and look over him again. He begs me to heal him, but doesn't he know that I would never walk away from an innocent soul in need? Probably not - he doesn't know me at all.

I look at him with sympathy and speak softly to him. "I will heal you, never fear. Don't look, I don't want you to become unsteady." I walk over toward his left him and look over it. I extend a wing, and warn him: "This might hurt for a moment." I need to clean off the wound as best I can before I heal it, and I use my feathers to gently wipe dirt and grime from his flank. Of course, I can't get it perfectly clean, I would need water to help get rid of everything. But in the middle of the forest, there is no clean water. Once I'm satisfied, I take to the task of the actual healing. I close my eyes, focusing on the space in front of me, and when I reopen my eyes, there is a small sphere of fire, floating in midair. I look toward the wounds on Thranduil's flank, and the fire moves toward it, spreading out to cover and line the wounds. I send heat through Thranduil's hip, healing wounds underneath the skin. The flames lick over the gashes, and slowly they cauterize, the blood flow stopping and the wounds turning into a light pink. They may scar, but they will not become septic or cause further problems. And the damage underneath may be stiff for another couple of days, but should heal without further problems.

Slow the flames fade, leaving his skin presumably warm to the touch. I step back and look at him with a satisfied smile, hoping to find relief in his eyes. "It is difficult to heal such wounds fully, but they should not cause you more problems after the next couple days." More words than I've spoken in a long time, but Thranduil wouldn't know that. And my lips are sealed again, a self-conscious look coming over me.

ANDROMEDA